“This is why we prepared. This is why we bugged out. This is why we're hunkering down. All them sick people out west coughing on each other, begging for supplies, that's a long wait for a train that don't come when you need it.” Deacon said.

“Do you want me to say you told us so? Will that shut you up?” Darlene yelled out the open window.

Deacon laughed. “Likely not, but it’s nice of you to say.”

“Now go and check on that truck that your lazy brother drove up here. It’s likely he forgot half his list on purpose to make more room for beer.”

“Don’t go being harsh on Jimmy. He likely didn’t add in more than a few cases of beer.”

Darlene eyeballed him.

“Okay, okay, a few dozen cases. But he wouldn’t have left out anything on the list to make room. He’s lazy and he likes his beer, but he ain’t stupid.”

Darlene smirked and shook her head as she turned back inside the window.

“Hey there brother. How did your run go?”, Deacon called out to Jimmy, who was getting out of his pickup truck.

“Pretty good. A few things missing, but a few other things made up for it…and not booze if that’s where your thoughts are going. Mostly batteries, some food.”

“Any guns or ammo?”

“Nothing useful left over in the sporting good stores…but the vet hospital wasn’t even locked, so I picked it clean. It’s all boxed separate so we can send it back in case this blows over.”

"That's good to hear. A lot of that stuff will be useful if things stay in the shitter for long."

"I ain't dumb, brother. Now get your ass over here and help me unload the trailer so we can get it unhooked and I can move the truck over to the kitchen."

"Yes boss! Right away boss!" Deacon shouted with a flippant salute.

Thirty minutes later they had the trailer unloaded into the storage building and all the stores put away and inventoried. Jimmy wasn't much for computers, so he handled the paper inventory while Deacon updated the tablet. Deacon was happy to use technology as a tool when it helped save him time or headaches, but he also recognised it's limitations, so he was happy Jimmy liked maintaining the hard copies.

"Is the range cleaned out and set up?" Jimmy asked.

"We cleaned out the first five lanes out to 100m, and the pistol/shotgun area." Deacon answered. "Enough to get some practice in in the short term. We can clear out more if we need later on."

"Sounds good. Any activity around here? It didn't look like many people were sticking around. Kinda weird the news says everyone seems to be heading in to the cities. I'd want to get away from all the sick people."

"Too many people have become dependant on other people for too many things. I suspect most people these days are sleepwalking through life, rather than living it. Get up when the alarm says, get to work when the boss says, go home when the boss says, eat what you're told when you're told, watch TV so someone can tell you what to buy. Not enough people thinking about what they'll do if shit hits the fan, or heck, even if they get laid off or sick." Deacon shook his head. "So many people can't even feed themselves without a microwave anymore.”

"I guess so. Kinda sad though." Jimmy looked

"That it is. Now enough moping, we have a truck to unload and people to help."

"Is mom here yet?" Jimmy asked.

"Yup, her and dad showed up about an hour before you got back. Dad's been cooking up a storm and mom was checking the inventory on the weapons room.”

"Did anyone bring up anything new?"

"Nope, mostly duplicates of what we already have, which is good for spares and ammo."

"Sure enough, but one day we might need to do something we can't with the stuff we have."

"If there's anything needs doing that we can't do, it's likely we're screwed anyways. What are you thinking of, taking out armoured cars? If anyone comes up here in an armoured vehicle, we have other ways of dealing with it, but we're likely screwed anyways. All the local authorities know us and wouldn't be so foolish as to come up unannounced. The Feds don't know and likely have bigger fish to fry. Anyone else, well that's their look out."

"True enough." Jimmy nodded.

They got back to unloading the truck into the pantry and upright freezers in the basement. As long as they had power, they could feed their people for months. Power wasn't likely to be an issue with redundant sources and battery banks along the far wall. They had planned for 30 people, and only two thirds of that had showed up so far. The sheriff's family was already here, but it wasn't likely the sheriff or deputies would come up until the town was deserted and they had run out of things to do.

"Has the doc made it up here yet?" Jimmy asked.

"Nope. He's the only one on the Alpha list that hasn't showed up. If he doesn't show by breakfast, we're going to take a couple of people into town and see if he's okay. You know he won't leave if there are still people in the clinic."

"Sure enough. I hope he doesn't get himself sick trying to save the world."

Deacon chuckled sadly. "Yeah, the doc would do that. On the other hand, Deputy Smith's new girlfriend is a trauma nurse and she came up with the sheriff's family. Apparently they hooked up at some emergency services conference and she was out visiting."

"Handy sort of gal to have. Let's hope he makes it up."

"Yeah, lots of hoping going on right now. Once we get the last stragglers up, we'll have to see about the entrance. I don't want to have it looking too well travelled. Might invite attention we don't need."

"Sure enough." Jimmy nodded. "I'll park the truck and get my gear squared away in my room."

"See you inside." Deacon said.

So far things were going a little better than he had feared. They'd done a few bug out drills over the years, but nothing like this. Never having to deal with the unforeseen, like panicky, unpredictable groups of people. It was one thing to send out the bug-out texts and have everyone gather when the gas stations were working, and traffic was still functioning. It was quite another when people looked at you and you could see they were wondering if you might have something they needed. The world wasn't quite the way the movies showed it after the apocalypse, but there were signs that some things were breaking down. A lot of 'No Fuel' and 'Closed' signs up where people expected to get their regular groceries. A few gas stations had lineups long enough that some cars had started to run out of fuel waiting for the gas trucks. Some people were starting to realise they weren't prepared for this.

Deacon had planned for all of this. It wasn't that he feared the government, or thought zombies were coming, although that's what the kids called their place, The Zombie Apocalypse Bunker. He just thought that it was better to be ready in case things went south in a hurry, and he needed to take care of his friends and family for more than the 72hrs the emergency agencies told people to plan for.

They were set up for an initial stay of up to three months. Any longer than that, especially if they were winter months, and they would have to consider supply runs. If they came up in the spring, they would have time to get some growing done outside, otherwise they would have to rely on the hydroponics and greenhouses. That would cut into their power budget more than he liked. He knew his dad had already started planting in the small greenhouse attached to the kitchen.

Oh well, he thought, they would make do and deal with each problem he hadn't foreseen as it came up.

The sound of an artillery barrage shook the house. Deacon smiled. It was good to have the kids out there, but they sure did have a lot of energy to burn off. He double checked the various locks and shut down the inventory tablet, before heading up stairs.

"Uncle Deacon!" Sarah called out as he came out of the stairwell. "What did you bring me?"

"Plenty of hard work and a dose of responsibilities!" Deacon answered.

"Well that's no fun." she mock sulked. She was the opposite of her father, but Jimmy had married a smart lady, so that's where most of Sarah's intelligence and drive must have come from. Must have. Deacon shook his head.

"All you kids have your stuff squared away in your rooms?" he asked.

"If you call those closets, rooms." Jimmy Jr groused.

"Well, you're always welcome to pitch a tent outside if you like." Deacon shot back. Jimmy Jr was more like his dad. He'd do what he had to, but always liked it better when other people did more than their share of what he considered ‘boring’, preferably some of his. "I didn't notice you spending much time up here helping build the place."

Jimmy Jr. muttered under his breath and continued sulking.

Teenagers, Deacon thought. Oh well, they either grew up, or they sat around wondering why life was passing them by. They'd find out soon enough which path each of the kids took. He was just thankful they didn't have any infants, or worse pregnant women, up here. They weren't ready to deal with childbirth or any complications that babies could bring about. The youngest kids were all at least eight or nine, so they could be expected to help out and look after each other.

"So, what's for lunch?" Deacon called into the kitchen.

"Soup and sandwiches are on. If you want anything else, you're going to have to make it yourself. I'm busy with dinner. Starting tomorrow I'm going to expect at least a couple of the kids to be in here helping out."

Some of the kids looked decidedly apprehensive at the thought of working in Grandpa's kitchen, but a few of them looked interested. Maybe they had a few kitchen hands in the offing. Grandpa had been cooking longer than Deacon had been alive. Plenty of people had tried to get him to open his own restaurant over the years, but he insisted he didn't want the hassle of running a business, or the responsibility of making sure he was profitable enough to pay people's mortgages.

Eventually people stopped asking, but an invitation to one of Grandma's social events was always a treat when Grandpa was cooking. She'd been on the town council for longer than most people could remember, and she was a huge part of why the town had kept it's rural nature, even as the population had grown. Every time someone suggested she run for mayor, even some of the mayors, she pushed the idea away, claiming she was busy enough with family and community. Besides, she preferred to work out of the spotlight, and was happy to let a succession of mayors take the credit for keeping their community the way it was.

Now they had to keep their own little community strong and focused, if they wanted to ride out this storm.

"I'll leave the slave labour to your tender mercies and see what I can do outside." Deacon beat a hasty retreat out the side door to the veranda.