“We didn’t have property damage. But the people pushed off their property did suffer damage, and they’re coming west. They’ll come through here afore long. Then we’ll have problems.” He shrugged, drawing attention to the rifle hanging from his thin shoulder. “That’s why I got this with me. Ain’t being unneighborly, just prudent. You should be armed, too, young lady.”
“You might be right,” Cami said. “We were watching the news before the power went out. Things are going downhill fast—”
“You got a radio?” interjected Marty.
“Oh, uh, yeah a little emergency radio.”
“No,” Marty said, shaking his head. “A real radio. Ham.”
“Oh, no…nothing like that. We’d need a big antenna, right? The homeowner’s association doesn’t allow that.”
Marty smiled.
“You have one?” asked Cami, incredulous. Marty had more trees than they did. There was no way he had enough clear space to plant a big ham radio antenna. She peered over his shoulder. Maybe it was on his house or something?”
“You won’t find it by looking.” He grinned, but the smile faded as he continued. “Point is, I do have a radio—a real one—and people are using ‘em all over the place. The news don’t show what’s really going on. Fighting in New York. They called out the National Guard in Boston. People on the coast are fixin’ to get downright mean, next couple of days. Mark my words.”
Cami rubbed her temple with one hand and raised the other to stop him. “Okay. First, how do you have a ham radio setup back in there? And what proof do you have that these rumors you’ve heard,” she said, shooting a glance at Amber and Mitch, “are real?”
Marty leaned over his cane, smiling again. “Don’t need a big tower to have an antenna. Fella could hide it easy with all these trees…”
“You made an antenna out of a tree?” asked Amber.
Marty just grinned, eyes twinkling.
“That is so cool,” Mitch added.
“So, people are on ham radios talking about riots or something?” asked Cami, her chest tightening.
Marty’s smile dropped, and his eyes took on a hard edge. “Affirmative. And it’s spreading. No one’s heard anything out of the feds, not since D.C. went dark last night. It’s a mess, alright.” He spat into the grass. “Might be what the country needs—clean ‘em out once and for all.”
“Okay,” Cami said, waving off the political commentary. “Have you heard anything about Maine?”
Marty looked over her shoulder. “Where’s Reese?”
She stared at him and arched an eyebrow.
“Oh.” The old man cleared his throat. “Ah, no, haven’t heard anything from anyone north of Boston. But that’s bad enough.”
No one spoke for a long moment until Marty cleared his throat again and spat on the ground. “You setting up a solar rig?”
“Uh…” Cami looked at the jumble of parts and wires and sighed. “Yeah.”
“I wouldn’t set it up right here,” he said matter-of-factly. “Too exposed.” He turned and squinted at the road, maybe forty yards away on the other side of their houses. “Yup. Too visible. Anyone driving by will see it and know you’ve got power.”
“Well, yeah, they’d see the lights, too,” Amber said, “So?”
“So? You think people who’ve lost everything, people who are desperate, are gonna walk up to your front door and ask for help? You should put up black-out curtains.”
Cami was quiet for a moment. When she looked up at him, Marty had a patient, expectant look on his face. “You really think it’ll come to that?”
“I hope and pray it don’t. But if it does, you want to be caught with your pants down, or your rifle ready?” He nodded at her. “I can see it in your eyes, Camilla. You’re a fighter.” He turned and called Kirk to his side again. Casting a long look over his shoulder, Marty snorted. “Always liked you two. Got a good kid, there, too. Y’all stay safe, now.”
“Bye.” Cami offered a weak wave as the old man shambled back to his property. Kirk stopped, looked back once, whimpered, then barked and bounded off after Marty, running in excited circles around his owner.
“Well, that was…comforting,” Amber muttered, crossing her arms.
“I, uh…I guess that guy doesn’t win friendliest neighbor awards very often, huh?” asked Mitch.
“Hardly,” groused Cami. She frowned. “He’s not wrong, though. I should have thought to put the solar panels somewhere a little more concealed from the road.”
“Well, they have to be in the open sunlight…” Amber countered.
“But that doesn’t mean we need to make it easy for people to realize we’ve got power.” Cami exhaled. “Marty’s right,” she said reluctantly. “We need to think about defense, right along with power and water. It won’t do your father any good if he makes it back here to find the place burned down and looted.”
“When,” Amber said in a soft voice.
Cami blinked. “Right. When he comes home.”
Mitch cleared his throat. “Well, then, let’s make sure the place is well lit and safe. What about if I put the first panel over here…I can’t see the road from this position. Would that work?”
Cami pursed her lips. “If you can’t see the road, then someone driving by wouldn’t be able to see the panel. Sounds good to me.” She looked up at the sky. “Just move it a little to your left, Mitchell—that spot will get a little more afternoon sun.”
“Good to go,” Mitch said, slamming the pointed stake into the ground.
“Amber, can you go grab a notebook and a pen or pencil?”
Her daughter cocked her head. “Sure, but why?”
Cami looked around the yard, imagining routes people would take—on foot—to gain access to the house and
