Scotty and I were discussing some sort of communication method between our two locations. We thought about using existing lines but these were very complicated and we needed something simple and convenient.

  “What about Ham radio, short wave or old school CB?” Scotty proposed as we ate lunch one day.

  “You can’t find anything in the buildings?” Helen asked.

  “Naw! We checked everything twice.” Scotty said frustrated.

  “Why don’t you just go and see what’s at P.E.?” Helen suggested. Scotty and I just looked at each other. “We thought about that too and decided it would probably be difficult to gain access.” I said.

  “We would need to pack a pretty good punch.” Scotty added.

  “Sweetheart?” I said to Jillian after a long pause. “Do you still have any of that C-4 I gave you for your birthday last year?”

  “Wait. Nope, sorry fresh out.” Jillian said checking her pockets and looking down her shirt.

  “Wow! She gets military grade explosives for her birthday.” Scotty said folding his arms and pouting.

  “You guys are thinking too hard.” Helen said as she got up and went into the house. Helen returned with a shoe box full of keys, key cards and thumb drives with the name “Ventura”.

  “Ventura Air force base is only about 20 miles.” Jillian said looking at a map.

  “You and I can take the clown car and do some recon.” Scotty said looking at the map, then at me.

  “No. We all go together, in case of problems or danger, it is near a Government Installation.” Jillian said and we all agreed.

  “We can all squeeze into the Suburban as long as we have fuel for a round trip.” I said.

  “No problem, I think I can fill it up.” Scotty said.

  Jillian and Helen packed enough food and water for two days, Scotty collected enough fuel to fill the Suburban and I packed up the dogs, they were all excited as we loaded up and headed to just outside Ventura.

  The buildings were very generic, no windows. Only a couple of weathered cars in the parking lot. The dogs scattered sniffing the area as we deployed a drone to get a look at the roof. A large array of solar panels and industrial sized units occupied the roof and a single access point. The front of the building had a white door and a key card swipe with a very small red light.

  “Still operational?” I said as I pulled the five or six key cards from gingers pack. I selected the one that looked most used. ‘Beep’ and the red light switched to green.

  “See! That was easy!” Helen said smiling.

  “Stand Clear.” I said as I was about to open the door, everyone backed away as I attached a tie down strap to the handle and Scotty used a board from a broken pallet to open the door. It was difficult to open because of the pressure inside the building.

  “Jillian. You, Helen and the posse stay here. Keep the door open and the radio on. We will be back in ten minutes.” I said.

  It was as if nothing changed. Standard soul sucking office lighting, unplugged vending machines and a nice cool seventy-five degrees. No odors, a little dusty, no footprints or signs of activity. I picked up the phone directory at what looked like a reception desk and Scotty showed me the fire evacuation plan he pulled from the wall.

  “I don’t see a ‘Sanders’ on the phone directory list.” I said going over the list a second time. Helen responded: “He used ‘Turner’ as his last name for work.” “Here it is, R&D, lower level two, we might lose communication. Ten minutes, okay?” I said.

  “Greg, you don’t wear a watch, Scotty? You have a watch? Helen is already shaking her head no. Here, take mine.” Jillian said as I walked back to the open door.

  “Ten minutes, if you don’t hear from us, bring corporal punishment. Make no noise. Helen, stay out here. You have your gun?” I asked. Helen’s disposition went from adventurous to concerned, as she watched Jillian verify her clip in her purple .38, me with the AA-12 and Scotty with his .44 magnum and the dogs not in their usual playful disposition. Helen pulled her 9mm from her shoulder bag knowing it was not time for target practice. She did not appear threatening at all.

  “Just keep this door open, okay. Everything will be fine.” I said. Scotty hit the elevator button for ‘down’. The mechanical sounds were rough, scratchy and slightly stressed as the door opened with slight squeaks. Scotty looked inside at the panel.

  “Each floor has a key input. Risky. Let’s take the stairs.” Scotty said as I agreed. We wedged the stair door open and the lights were on a motion sensor, weak and slightly pulsating as we descended turning on our head lamps.

  “Jillian copy?” I said into the radio.

  “Weak, but okay.” She responded.

  “Couple of cubicles and some sort of laboratory equipment, it’s like a clean room. Everything looks like it was removed. Large open areas.” I said into the radio, no response. “Jillian? Do you copy?” No response. Scotty opened a small filing cabinet. Empty, just like the desks, and all the computers were missing; monitors still in place.

  “Someone took a lot of stuff.” Scotty said walking to a tall garage door.

  “I don’t see a keypad or card swipe, thing.” Scotty said inspecting the edges.

  “We have six minutes.” I said to Scotty as he walked over to a workstation and looked under the desk.

  “Yep.” Scotty said as the garage door engaged and opened slowly. A couple of lights blinked to life as the door opened, a vast underground parking lot. About eight or ten vehicles ranging from nondescript box trucks, military vehicles to a couple of ‘clown cars’ as Scotty called them.

  “We have four minutes.” I said to Scotty. We left to go report our findings to Helen and Jillian who were standing near the open door.

  “Well?” Jillian and Helen said together. “It looks like they left in a hurry and took all the computer workstations and files. We opened a garage door and found a parking garage with a couple of vehicles. How many do you think were down there?” I said looking for Scotty, who was across the street with Rosie, Becky and Jeff. We walked across the street and watched Scotty as he looked like he was on to something, still holding the fire evacuation plan.

  “This is a scaled drawing, see these marks here, here and here.” Scotty said pointing to the framed document.

  “Based on this drawing, the parking garage is under these office buildings.” Scotty said removing the document from the frame.

  ‘Electronic Restoration’, whatever that is, ‘Sofa-King’ and ‘Discount Textiles Warehouse’.

  “Let’s get some new pillows.” Jillian said pulling her purple .38.

  “Let’s see what’s on the roof.” I said as I walked over to the truck and deployed the drone as Jillian handed out some snacks and water.

  “Same gear, and look, that’s one of those power converters!” Scotty said looking over my shoulder as we heard a ‘beep’ and looked as Helen used a key card on the front door of ‘Sofa-King’.

  “The key card had a faded SK written on it!” Helen said.

  “Same as the other door.” I said to Scotty as he positioned himself with a section of broken galvanized fence post.

  “I’d feel better if you used something, less conductive.” I said as he dropped the metal post and found a wooden substitute.

  “Same amount of pressure, maybe a little more.” Scotty said as the sound of the door opening released pressure. All the dog’s noses focused on the air escaping from the Sofa-King. Ginger and Pete issued a low growl and Rosie, Becky and Jeff slowly went off in different directions with noses on the ground.

  “Same drill, keep the door open, ten minutes, okay?” I said to everyone. Scotty and I entered the building, no lights, we found a light switch and it lit a single fluorescent ceiling fixture that blinked. The room was like a ‘waiting room’, no chairs, a floor mat that had a cheesy Sofa-King logo on it and a door with a card swipe that showed a red light. I swiped the SK key card and it refused with two tones.

  “I bet this door needs to be closed for this one to open.” Scotty said confidently.

  “If we take the hinge pins out, we can easily open it, if we run into problems.” Scotty said inspecting the door hinges.

  “Pete’s pack, left side pocket.” I said.

  “Ten minutes, you will not be able to enter.” I said to Jillian and Helen through the open door. Scotty knocked out the hinge pins and collected them and carefully closed the door, I swiped the key card and got a green light and opened the door.

  “Were getting good at this.” I said to Scotty.

  “This is risky for something that’s just a convenience that we might not find a solution to.” Scotty said looking over the top of his glasses at me.

  “Tell me you’re not having fun.” I said to Scotty. He just looked at me and smiled as we walked through the door. A light turned on illuminating a small hallway that ended at an elevator. No stairs. A dull quiet tone issued and the elevator door opened.

  “Must be automated.” I said as Ginger and Pete continued to sniff the air.

  “Jillian? I said into the radio.

  “Barely hear you.” Jillian responded static and broken.

  “Ten minutes, maybe fifteen. I’ll leave the radio open. Okay?” I said.

  “Okay.” Jillian confirmed. We entered the elevator. No buttons, just stainless-steel walls as we descended. The elevator stopped for what seemed to be two or three floors and the doors opened. Another small waiting room type area like the one upstairs, only this one had a visible camera and a big monitor on the wall. I swiped the card and was denied entry. I tried again, the same result. I tried all the cards and none of them worked. Ginger and Pete sniffed the single door frame.

  “Looks like a dead end. Door hinges are on the other side of the door.” I said.

  “Dead end is right asshole!” Came a voice from the monitor speakers. Scotty and I looked at each other.

  “What is your name?” I asked looking into the camera.

  “I’ll ask the questions, Fred!” Came a stern response.

  “My name is not Fred.” I said calmly.

  “YES, it is.” Fred, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and a bunch of Scooby’s. It’s like an episode of Scooby doo on fucking steroids!” The voice said. I let out a little chuckle.

  “I’VE BEEN WATCHING YOU ASSHOLES FOR THE PAST THIRTY MINUTES!’ And I’m particularly fond of the red-head, Daphne.” The voice went from hostile to relaxed when he referred to Helen. Male, approximately twenty-five years old, unstable. Ginger and Pete started getting nervous and looking toward the elevator.

  “How long have you been down here?” I asked politely.

  “Six years, eight months, thirteen days, and now because of you meddling kids I’m going to FUCKING DIE! It’s just as well.” The man’s roller coaster of emotions was unsettling and I was not too certain how to react and proceed.

  “How did you end up here?” Scotty asked softly with sincere concern. No immediate response.

  “Why did you… how did you find this place?” The voice asked a little less agitated.

  “We’re friends of Mr. Turner…” Scotty started to say.

  “MR. TURNER!” The voice exclaimed and the monitor lit up the small area. The man wore a black retro Pink Floyd Animals concert t-shirt, black wavy hair, scruffy beard and glasses. One of the lens’ had a crack.

  “Is the virus still active?” The man said looking for an answer he hoped to hear.

  “Did you bring the treatments? Besides the guns.” He asked.

  “My name is Roy. We mean you no harm, we have been using Mr. Turners prototypes for power, water, transportation, and we were hoping to find a long-range communication device. Something that is good for fifty or sixty miles.” Scotty said looking into the monitor. I placed my gun against the wall. The monitor went black and a long silence.

  “Did he ever mention his name?” Scotty asked me.

  “No. I don’t believe he did.” I responded.

  “How long will it take me to get to Oklahoma?” The man asked excitedly.

  “Where about? It’s a big state. Depends on road conditions…” Scotty said as he was cut short.

  “THE BORDER! THE FUCKING BORDER!” The man’s voice sounded as if he was far from the microphone.

  “Car? Walking? What’s your mode of transportation?” I asked.

  “BIG TRUCK! Like the one in the garage!” The man said as it sounded like he was shuffling papers.

  “Two, maybe three days. But you will run out of gas way before that, unless it’s electric, then probably a week or more with a portable solar charger.” Scotty said. The door clicked and a green light appeared.

  “Come on in. BUT KEEP THOSE FUCKING DOGS AWAY FROM ME! I hate dogs.” The man said through the monitor speakers. We walked through the door and a pungent smell of urine, feces, body odor and mold attacked our noses. Ginger and Pete silently growling.

  “Time is of the essence. Since I only have four or five days to live, I need to get to Oklahoma.” The man said collecting boxes and putting them on a cart.

  “Stay.” I said to Ginger and Pete who were not visibly comfortable, as Scotty and I helped the man who pointed at what was to be placed on the cart. His demeanor was frantic. Eyes darting around, and he had a visible facial tic that was as humorous as it was frightening. Scotty and I said nothing, but exchanged glances and went along with the program.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “What have you been living on… food wise, I mean?” Scotty asked politely and inquisitorially.

  “A combination of organic and synthesized proteins and other shit, it tastes like gruel and the supply will be exhausted in eight months, water will be unusable in four months. You assholes fucked up my plans and now I have to… oh, and thanks by the way!” The man said sarcastically.

  We loaded up two carts of boxes and computer workstations. The man carried a laptop covered in stickers and a military issue backpack as we headed deeper into the building. The man constantly mumbled, cursed and argued with himself as we briskly walked to a small freight elevator.

  “Do you assholes have any food or water?” The man asked as he looked directly at me for the first time. His eyes were steel blue and one kept drifting as he constantly chewed the inside of his mouth.

  “Yes. We will give you whatever you need.” I said not knowing which eye to look at. Ginger and Pete stayed behind me and I could hear Pete’s low rumble of disapproval. Scotty stood behind the man in the tight space of the elevator, trying to breathe out the side of his mouth and his hand on his gun.

  The door opened and a rush of fresh air hit us like a wave. “WOW!” Does that smell good!” The man said as he pulled one of the carts from the elevator. We were in the underground parking garage as some of the lights blinked on, some did not. He stopped at the large military vehicle. Desert tan with big wheels. I have never seen anything like it before. He opened the back door and jumped in as we started handing him the contents of the carts.

  “What kind of gas mileage do you get with this beauty!” Scotty said admiring the vehicle.

  “About three-hundred twenty miles per gallon. It holds ten gallons. It runs on a synthetic formula. All these vehicles have been converted. Most government vehicles use it, it’s been around since the nineteen seventies.” The man said plainly.

  “You can get over three thousand miles on a tankful?!” Scotty asked with eyes open wide.

  “Nothing wrong with your mathematics; actually, it’s three thousand two hundred. So, your math is incorrect.” The man said arguing with himself.

  The man handed Scotty a large aluminum case. “There should be one in each vehicle. It includes a manual, so read up on it.” The man said politely to Scotty.

  “Great. Thank you!” Said Scotty.

  “Can you unplug that?” The man asked Scotty pointing to a cable to the wall. The man started the vehicle and it barely made any noise. He hit a button on the ceiling of the cab and light poured in from an exit about three hundred feet away.

  “I AINT GOT ALL FUCKING DAY!” The man yelled as he quickly headed toward the exit. As we walked outside into the brilliant sunlight and our eyes adjusted, Scotty and I looked for Jillian, Helen and the dogs. Nothing.

  “Pull up alongside…” I started to say as the man was opening his laptop, ignoring me.

  “I’M NOT GETTING OUT! LOAD ME UP!” The man said in a commanding tone as he typed on his keyboard.

  “See those light blue storage tanks?” The man said to Scotty as he pointed down the block.

  “That’s where you fill these up at. They are scattered all over the place.” The man said to Scotty.

  “Thank you, again.” Scotty said smiling as I loaded the food and water into his vehicle.

  “Make sure you close the door when you’re done. FRED!” The man said to me referring to the garage door.

  “Okay.” I said and gave him a thumbs up. He returned the thumbs up gesture in a childish mocking way and tore out of the parking lot.

  Jillian’s voice crackled, “What an asshole!” over the radio as she, Helen and the wolf pack emerged from across the street. The dogs all sniffing each other in order to see where they have been as Scotty and I returned to the parking garage and assessed our vehicle choices.

  “Three hundred twenty miles per gallon?! Think that’s true?” Jillian said walking over to a dusty white BMW.

  “My asshole ex mentioned this project and I overheard conversations he had.” Helen said as she and Scotty inspected a smaller version of the military truck. Jillian opened the trunk of the BMW. “Empty, nothing in here.” Jillian said. Scotty opened the back of the military truck. “I got one here!” He exclaimed.

  All the vehicles were plugged into a wall receptacle. I walked toward the elevator remembering a particular vehicle that caught my eye earlier.

  “Tell me you’re not considering THAT one!” Jillian said as I approached a very dirty, dark brown 1990’s station wagon. I stopped short, “What? This one? This is a ‘chick magnet’!” I said admiring the simulated wood panels.

  “Pussy magnet!” Scotty yelled.

  “More like ‘pussy repellent!” Jillian said looking at Helen who held back her laughter.

  I walked past the station wagon and approached a dull black Escalade, dark green windows and solid tires. This looks like an official government vehicle, I thought to myself. I looked under the vehicle and it was a solid ‘v’ shape. I opened the door and it had multiple recessed storage areas for small to medium firearms and a dashboard that was just a blank screen and a button labeled ‘Start/Stop’. I looked around and found 2 binders that appeared to be the operation manuals. I collected them both and exited the vehicle as Scotty, Jillian and Helen started their choices and exited the garage. The dogs stayed outside the garage and waited for us as we emerged.

  Jillian looked sexy in her white BMW; Helen drove out a black clown car. “These seats are nicer than mine!” She said smiling. Scotty drove out the military vehicle engaging his clip-on sunglasses looking and acting cool.

  “You didn’t like the Escalade?” Scotty asked me.

  “I need to read about it first.” I said holding up the two binders.

  “I see two light blue storage tanks about three blocks away.” I said to everyone.

  “I’m full.” Scotty said looking at the dashboard. “Me too.” Jillian said. “One hundred percent.” Helen added. The garage door activated and slowly started to close.

  “That’s me.” Scotty said as he stopped the door and it started to go back up.

  “At least we have access, for now.” Scotty said, hitting the button again closing the garage door.

  “I need to go back and get my AA12.” I said as I summoned Ginger and Pete to assist.

  “I’ll be right back.” I said as I ran with the dogs back to the entrance of the Sofa-King. I stepped in to find my AA12 against the wall and I barely heard ‘mister crazy eyed nut job’s’ voice coming through the monitor speakers.

  “G.G.I.N. trying to code in, copy?” I pulled my old iPhone and recorded the audio and took a couple of pictures from just inside the stinky nerd nest. I closed both doors and exited the Sofa-King. Who the hell does he think is listening? I thought to myself as I jogged back to the convoy.

  “Turn on the radio and scan for a signal.” I said as Scotty was looking under the hood at the engine compartment of the BMW.

  Scotty opened the case and scrambled to find the power button. “No charge on the battery.” Scotty said as he ran with the open case to his vehicle and inserted the power connector to the unit, turned it on and hit the scan button. Almost immediately came the same transmission; “G.G.I.N. trying to code in, copy?”

  Scotty’s eyes opened a little upon hearing this. He picked up the hand-held transmitter. He covered the hand-held unit with his other hand and said; “The…fox…jump…lazy…dog.” Scotty expertly simulated a weak broken transmission as he just shrugged his shoulders as he heard ‘Mister crazy eyed nut job’ repeat his transmission. His voice and manner were joyous and frantic.

  “Say: ‘Code in.” Scotty said to Helen as he held the transmitter in front of her. Helen said: “Code in.” As Scotty engaged the transmit button. Then he made a gesture for someone to write on something. I just hit record on my iPhone.

  “6639241 zed, over.” Came the response.

  “Roads totally suck ass, eta unknown, turning back to find another route. Call back in twelve. Out.” The man said as we all listened and looked at each other.

  “He’s coming back?” Helen asked.

  “Let’s wrap this up and get out of here.” Scotty said as we all agreed and powered up the four newly acquired communication units.

  “I’m ready for some dinner. Where to?” Jillian asked.

  “Let’s go to your house, it’s closer and the condition of these vehicles is unknown, in case of total failure.” I said to Helen and Scotty. Rosie, Becky and Jeff did not like Scotty’s new vehicle and were too big for Helen’s new clown car. I rallied all the dogs in the Suburban and followed.

  “Chances are really good that these vehicles have GPS or some sort of location tracking device.” Scotty’s voice over the speaker in the brief case sized unit.

  “Only the black Escalade, Shaggy!” Came the familiar voice.

  “What are the chances someone would need to be tracking it?” Scotty asked.

  “Ah… pretty fucking slim, since everyone is dead! I would have expected a question like that from Fred!” The man said as I just rolled my eyes.

  “I personally want to thank you for helping us out, son, it really…” Scotty’s soft-spoken speech was cut short.

  “…And I want to thank you! I’ve been thinking about blowing my brains out for about a year now and I really should have just done this instead. Smelling the fresh air, feeling the sun and wind is invigorating, and knowing that I’m going to die a horrible painful death is just what I need.” The man said in an increasing violent manner.

  “Well son, just watch out for the bridges and try not to drive at night.” Scotty said in a parental tone.

  “Okay Daddy Shaggy!” Said the man sarcastically.

  “Good luck son.” Said Scotty in a transmission that resonated finality.

  Scotty stopped at an intersection and got out of his vehicle. “Just monitor the channel, do not talk.” He said as the man’s voice barked; “Does anyone know where I can score some WEED!”

  “Don’t break radio silence.” Scotty said to all of us as the man turned on some music and placed the transmitter right over a speaker. Very loud and ultra-distorted sound came from the small speaker as I recognized it as ‘Folsom Prison Blues’.

  “Johnny Cash bitches! Liquor store! Gotta stop for some road refreshments!” Said the man as he turned down the music and we heard his vehicle stop and a single ‘pop’ sound from a small caliber weapon as Johnny Cash sang in the background.

  The signal was fading fast as we drove east, after about eighteen miles, it was gone. We arrived at Helen and Scotty’s, unpacked and inspected the four briefcase sized radios as we all went through the instruction manual. “Seems pretty straightforward, why does it need eighty-eight pages? Typical Government overkill, I guess.” Jillian said.

  “Where are all the dogs?” I asked looking around.

  “Rosie took up residence in a den about two hundred yards that way.” Scotty said pointing. “They are becoming more and more independent. But they all visit us two or three times a day and never leave for too long when you visit.” Helen said just as they all emerged chasing Becky who had something in her mouth. Rosie was about three or four months pregnant and not quite as fast. We all had dinner in a beautiful Gazebo Scotty built, it even had a cushioned area for all the dogs that Rosie usually occupied and a large screen TV.

  “We might want to go back and collect all the vehicles. I’d like to take one apart to see how it ’ticks’. Maybe see if we can find some drawings or schematics. Everything breaks down, eventually.” Scotty proposed with the hopes we would agree.

  “We need to figure out how to get the fuel.” I said as I leafed through one of the binders for the Escalade. All the dogs lifted their heads at the same time. Each one looking at each other, then they all got up.

  “What’s going on with them?” I asked to no one in particular. Pete, slowly walked over to Rosie and sat in front of her and Jeff did the same.

  “Uh oh!” Helen said quietly.

  “What!” Scotty asked concerned as all the wine glasses and the bottles danced slightly on the table and the flatware vibrated as a low rumble could be felt. Ginger and Rosie looked to us for information as Helen said, “Earthquake”, in a musical way and picked up her glass of wine and the bottle from the table. We all did the same standing up and looking at each other with growing concern. As quick as it started, it stopped.

  “Just a little one.” Helen said sitting back down and sipping her wine.

  “That was, an, earthquake?” Scotty asked with curious excitement. The dogs came over to us looking for reassurance and comfort.

  “So… is that how it is for you when we have sex?” Jillian asked me.

  “The duration is about right.” I said trying to use humor as a mask for my silent amazement. Jillian licked her finger and touched it to her hip and made a hissing sound. “That was scary and…” Jillian said as she was looking for the right word, and I said, “Beautifully powerful.”

  “That’s it! Just like me.” Jillian said smiling and sticking out her chest.

  “Did you see Pete.” Helen said.

  “He was protecting Rosie!” Scotty said with a little emotion.

  “It’s okay Pete, good boy, good boy!” I said to Pete as he tilted his head looking toward me and his tongue hanging out panting, happy everything was back to normal and sitting next to Rosie.

  “You know, that’s the second time someone mentioned Oklahoma, first it was that crazy woman, now this guy. What do you suppose is there?” Helen asked.

  “Survivors are welcome…” Helen said, thinking.

  “I remember when you said that when we first met.” Jillian said.

  “I, for one, like my freedom!” Scotty said holding up his glass.

  “FREEDOM.” We all said and toasted.

  “We have nothing to gain by visiting Oklahoma. We have everything we need right here.” I said looking off into the distance and lighting up a cigar.

  “I do kind of miss the seasons though; autumn, the first snow, spring thaw.” I said.

  “I don’t miss the snow at all. Driving in traffic with heavy snow did suck, but it’s, I don’t know, kind of…cozy.” I said. An immediate flashback memory hit me hard of Christmas morning with my wife and our children; about four years old, with a fire crackling and the soundtrack of ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ playing in the background. The snow falling slowly straight down outside. My wife in her pajamas wearing the earrings she just opened as a gift from me sipping her tea. The tears just poured from my eyes as I stood up.

  “Greg, what’s wrong?” Jillian asked very concerned. I walked away from the table and Ginger and Pete followed me. “I’ll be alright.” I said in a wavering tone barely able to speak. I heard Jillian tell Helen and Scotty about the nightmares I’ve been having. I just needed to go for a walk. All the dogs accompanied me licking my hands and aware of my emotional state.

  My knees grew weak and I fell to the ground. I burst into an uncontrolled crying fit in the middle of Helen and Scotty’s back yard with the evening sun piercing my flooded eyes. All the dogs laid down next to me. Pete’s big head on my chest, Ginger nudged my hand with her head, Becky and Jeff laid down next to me and did not move, Rosie paced slowly around all of us.

  Everyone cares for you a great deal. Came the familiar voice of William in a soft tone. I kept my eyes shut.

  Well, except for Todd. William added.

  Who the hell is Todd? I thought.

  Todd is the name of the man in the ‘Stinky nerd nest’. William said laughing. That cracked me up. William said still laughing a little.

  Am I awake? Or am I dreaming? I said out loud.

  Kind of…both. said William.

  I could feel the sun on my face and a gentle breeze mixed with the smell of Pete’s foul breath and I could feel Ginger breathing as I stroked her side.

  Emotional energy is a very powerful resource. William said.

  I’m not feeling very powerful right now. I thought.

  Ahh, that’s where you are mistaken. William said.

  Why do you think the dogs are here with you? Why is it that Jillian, Helen, Roy, sorry, Scotty, are so concerned? The energy is like a beacon, or like a pulsating wave emanating from you. Animals are particularly sensitive to it because they do not possess spoken language and the verbal filter that often conceals a lie or misdirection. Jillian, Helen and Scotty feel remorse and sadness, why? Because they care. This in of itself is a powerful resource and helps with the cleansing process.

  Why are you able to hear my voice? William said sounding like a college professor.

  Cause I’m going crazy. I thought.

  Hardly. William said chuckling a little.

  You are thinking about opening your eyes. Try to refrain. Concentrate and focus on what you hear and what you feel. William said as he sat down next to me as I performed the breathing exercise.

  Friendship? Love? Food? Water? Relaxing, smelling the air… it’s like a list of… ‘fragrances’, associated to locations. I thought.

  Are these your thoughts? William asked.

  No. It’s like… weird clicking and, wait, snapping sounds. I thought quietly.

  You no longer feel pain in your head? William asked.

  No. Why? I asked William.

  Because your skills are, increasing. William said.

  I opened my eyes and saw William petting Ginger. You have not spoken a word. Have you? I thought.

  No, I have not. William responded with a smile and touched my left shoulder and dissolved.

  Jillian came over and knelt down next to me and ran her fingers through my hair.

  “How you doing?” She asked as a tear dripped from her face. Helen and Scotty came over an sat down. They did not speak. I could also hear muffled sounds, I guess they could be called, in disorganized sentences.

  “Better.” I said sitting up and the dogs looking for attention.

  “Thank you, thank you. Therapy session over.” I said petting each one as they started chasing each other. Scotty helped me up and Helen hugged me.

  “Were all in this together.” Helen said.

  “I feel, cleansed. Like a vision of clarity.” I said to everyone.

  “Oh, by the way. Rosie is going to have four pups; two female and two males.” I said for no apparent reason.

  “How do you know that?” Helen asked me.

  “I just know.” I said.

  We all walked over to Helen’s huge clothes line and started taking off the bed sheets, towels and assorted linens as well as personal items. Helen’s washer was almost industrial sized, no manufacturer name. I typically wore underwear and socks a day or two and just opened a bag of fresh ones. Jillian made use of our used clothing somewhere, I’m sure. I have a set of about five Hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts, seven or eight novelty t-shirts. I still have my old Metallica t-shirt that Tom wore. We all sat outside and folded clothes and watched a picture and video slide show Jillian put together as the sunset.

  “My debut will be next week! I’m just putting the finishing touches on it and want everyone’s comments.” Helen said referring to her latest hobby of photography. Jillian showed her how to edit and put together the pictures. Helen and her artistic capabilities are sure to be a pleasant surprise.

  “I have three maybe four stops tomorrow.” Jillian said closing her laptop and putting it in her bag. “I need to pick up dental supplies. Everyone is due for a cleaning and a checkup.” Jillian added. All three of us moaned and complained like adolescents.

  “Do you want me to make your curfew nine o’clock instead of ten o’ clock MISTER!?” Jillian said to me with her hands on her hips looking down as I sat in the chair. I stood up and approached her slowly.

  “According to my ‘clock’ it’s exactly twelve right now!” I said looking down.

  “Gotta catch me first!” Jillian said as she grabbed her bag and took off running into the darkness. The dogs got up and started barking and running playfully as well. Except Rosie who just lifted her head to see what was going on and resumed her nap.

  “See you in the morning!” I said as I took off in pursuit of Jillian.

  The next morning, we all woke up to a beautiful and rare rain shower that lasted about three hours. The dogs splashed in the puddles and chased each other.

  “We will all be able to take a long hot shower!” Helen said as she tied back her rain-soaked hair.

  “I’m game if you are?” Jillian said smiling at Helen.

  “Looks like our dental appointments are canceled for today.” Scotty said not entirely comfortable with Jillian’s comment. Just then, the rain stopped. The dogs were a wet muddy mess and were enjoying every minute of it.

  “I bet the pond is full!” Helen said.

  “Pond? You have a pond?” I asked. We all walked to a small area just off the backyard and sure enough, about a half-acre pond was created. The dogs went nuts, even Rosie got in.

  “I walked past this a hundred times and didn’t give it a second thought. This is my kinda swim’n hole!” Scotty said as he joined in with the dogs. Jillian immediately entered the pond with Scotty and the dogs. Helen and I looked at each other and ran into the cold water. We splashed and played like kids.

  Jillian and I were eager to see how our house fared; we have never experienced this much rain before.

  “Roads are going to be tricky.” Scotty said drying off his face.

  “We’ll correct the maps as we go.” Jillian said as she did a radio check with Scotty.

  “Do you two need anything?” Jillian asked Helen and Scotty.

  “Were good sweetie, thank you.” Helen said hugging Jillian and I.