97 - Went inside the preppers' school.
joneworlds@mailbox.org

The other day I  was clearing blackberry brambles,
getting  ready to  dig another  hole in  the woods
behind the old school.   It's not a school anymore
of course, because it's  been some kind of prepper
fortress  for a  while  now.  I'm  near where  the
tether-ball poles are, and I spot these two little
gnomes  playing,  chucking something  against  the
wall.  When  I see it's somebody's  wallet, I shoo
them away  and have a  look.  And when I  find the
drivers' license,  I'm shocked to see  it's Lee's.
I  remember  that  guy.   Our kids  used  to  play
together sometimes,  before he went all  in on the
prepper stuff.  They're still  all holed up inside
this very  school for all  I know, with  all their
guns   and  traps   and  supplies   and  whatever.
Although preppers tend to quit over time, so maybe
not.   I wonder  sometimes how  many are  actually
left in there by now.

That's when  I see the  back door to  the school's
gym  is open  a  crack, there  by the  tether-ball
poles. That gives me a bad feeling from somewhere.
Because preppers don't just leave doors ajar.

I go to peek inside,  but it's dark and there's an
awful smell.   And the  sound of buzzing  flies. I
slip  in and  around  the metal  shelves with  all
their cans.  Then I  see it over  by far  wall, in
just  the   light  from   the  door   cutting  the
gloom. Three small figures lying on the floor in a
row together, and a bigger one slumped against the
wall.  And  there's that dark splatter  behind its
head, and then I know what this is. Seeing it all,
I want to sob, or vomit, or something, but nothing
comes. Just that old  anguish crushing on my chest
again is  all I get.  So  I just back away  to the
door.  And  I know my  scruples are leaking  but I
grab a  few cans of soup  on my way out.   We need
them more then they do, now.

When  I get  back  outside, the  gnomes are  still
gone. The sun comes out  and the air is clear, but
there's that funny feeling,  like how the shape of
everything doesn't seem the same  as it was just a
minute ago, and you walk like you just landed on a
new planet  or something. But the  wind is picking
up, and  the ring on  the end of  that tether-ball
chain is rattling against the pole.  And it sounds
like  its the  only  thing in  the world.   Ching,
ching-ching, ching.