That day in his apartment had felt strange at first as he scrawled out a loose plan he hoped would lengthen his life in a world that at the time seemed to be dying. In the end he realized writing on that apartment wall not only saved his life, but saved the lives of others, like Essie, Stephani and Claire just to name a few. Looking at all the solar equipment Barry had staged in the warehouse, Jared began sketching out a plan in his mind based on the equipment they needed to move coupled with the assets they had at their disposal.
They had a few thousand pounds’ worth of large equipment pieces to move back to the ranch house, which was miles away. There would be no sneaking around with this much equipment. Jared fostered the idea of taking one piece at a time over a long period, but quickly abandoned the idea as counterproductive based on a fast-approaching winter and the need for at least a few creature comforts from the time before the solar flare.
As Jared’s brain raced, a strategy for moving all the solar equipment up to the ranch house came into focus. Barry and John remained mute as they watched Jared study the solar equipment. Jared’s brows were furrowed as the logistics of moving so many things of such great weight were realized and slowly overcome. The other two men’s silence finally caused Jared to look at John.
“What?” Jared said, seeing John was studying him with a quizzical yet expectant look painted on his face.
John frowned. “What are you thinking?”
Jared breathed in deeply. “We need to bring the Beetle down here and use it. The horses won’t do, we need a trailer, and we’ll need the Bug to tow it.”
“That’s gonna make a hell of a lot of noise getting down here,” John chided gently.
Jared shook his head. “No, we tow it in, drive it out.”
John wasn’t keen on using the only operating vehicle he knew existed in the greater Bay Area, but he’d also seen the military use aircraft so secret and valuable, many of the country’s top politicians didn’t know of their existence. The bottom line was, if you didn’t use it, there was no use having it.
“We tow it down here with the horses. We need the lightest trailer we can find that will accommodate all the equipment. Once we start the bug and leave this place, anyone who hears it is going to want it, so we’re not coming back anytime soon,” Jared stated, nodding his head as his brain completed putting the finishing touches on his course of action.
John chuckled as Jared concluded his scheme. “I like it. We can implement a security element to your plan, and I think Calvin can help with how we’re going to attach a horse to a VW Bug, but other than that, I think you got us headed in the right direction.” Finishing, John turned and gave Barry a questioning look.
“Ah, yeah, sure, sounds great,” Barry stammered.
John laughed out loud, knowing full well Barry probably hadn’t even listened to Jared’s entire plan; instead he had almost certainly been going over his own plan for the solar setup once they dropped it in the dirt next to the ranch house.
Having completed his outlining of how they would get the panels and batteries to the ranch house, Jared looked around the warehouse and realized Devon was missing. “Where’s Devon?”
John jerked his thumb upwards. “On the roof keeping an eye out. He likes the solitude, I think.”
By 0900 hours, Jared and John had everyone packed and ready to move out towards the ranch house. Claire was wearing her new shoes, which thankfully fit perfectly, while the feminine supplies disappeared into the women’s packs. John and Jared assisted Barry in moving every piece of solar equipment they would be dragging back to the ranch house inside the warehouse, where they prayed it would be waiting upon their return.
John thought about trying to rig one of the doors for easy access, but Jared and Barry were against this. In the end John relented, surrendering to the idea of picking the mechanism upon their return. If he were unable to pick the lock the next time, they would force entry through the front glass doors and be on their way.
When the group finally left for the ranch house, John moved out ahead of everyone, sweeping his rifle left and right as he searched for any sign their position had been discovered. He wasn’t overly worried since Devon had remained on the building’s roof all of the day before and then again ever since John went out to help with Jared and Stephani’s safe return. The six people moved through the city, heading east and using as many side streets as possible.
Shortly before noon, they arrived in the area of the San Jose Country Club. Jared surveyed the brown fairways and remembered the night he’d spent on one of them. He had imagined all kinds of things that were not real and had been beyond relieved when the sun finally came up the following morning. Now he moved through the area a different man, changed by life’s harsh lessons learned through blood, sweat, and some tears.
John led the group straight to where they’d left the horses and was delighted to find them still cordoned off in the corral. There was no hay left in the feeder, but the animals seemed none the worse for wear. As John looked at the corral, he had the idea to bring some feed with them. He would also search the property for anything he could use to pen the horses
