Chapter 17

[Preservation – Jim in Salt Lake City]

I looked in the rear view mirror and saw two trucks coming up behind me with men standing in the bed and leaning on the roof firing. Their fire was returned. I dodged out of the RV and went to grab Cathy and pull her inside. Three shots from those first guys rang out and her body jerked as she was hit with all three. The new guys came up and killed the other two men quickly. I slowly stood and raised my hands again. One man from this new group walked over and checked the bodies including Cathy's limp form. He then looked at me and said, "Tell us what happened."

I said, "We were in Oregon and were headed back to my home in Richmond, Virginia. Salt Lake was on our route and I wanted to stop and see the sights before heading on east. When we pulled up here, those three accosted us. Cathy got out before I knew it. She wanted to talk to people. She was being questioned. They were suspicious of us. They thought we might come from Dugout or something like that. You guys appeared and started shooting. Cathy was hit in the arm and I got out to pull her into the RV and then one of them," pointing with my head, "shot her. I think she's dead."

"She is. I'm sorry. My name is Jam Henderson. I lead this group. We're from Dugway Air Force Base and have been defending the base for the last few months. Since the Day, we have collected people to live with us there and develop the means to survive. These three, along with two others we caught a week ago, came into town two weeks ago and started to try taking over. There's no one left in Salt Lake City anymore."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"You'll come with us. We'll check out your story and then the Colonel will make a decision about your status. Now, you get in that truck in back. Dan, get his gun. Cuff him to the bar. Mark, you drive his RV." I was herded into the back of the truck and we headed off leaving all four bodies where they lay. I was driven a few miles to the entrance of the air force base. There were guards there but they let us through. Our three vehicles pulled up at an administrative building and we all got out.

"Bring him in," said Henderson. I followed him inside with a couple of men behind me. We went into an executive office area and Henderson knocked on the door.

"Come," was heard from inside and we entered the room.

"Colonel, Henderson reporting. We went into the city this morning pursuant to your instructions. We found the three remaining marauders in Temple Square with their trucks and a RV. We charged them shooting one and winging a young woman supposedly with this man. The marauders shot and killed her. We finished them off, took him prisoner, and brought him to you."

"Thank you, Henderson. Good report. At ease, Men. I'm Colonel Raymond Harriman. Who are you, young man?"

"I'm Jim Sinclair from Richmond, Virginia. Cathy, the young woman the other guys killed, and I were traveling the northern portion of the country before returning to Richmond. I left Richmond in early June and met Cathy with some other survivors in Belfast, Maine. They were going to head south and she decided to go with me and see the country one last time. We went through eastern Canada, Niagara Falls, followed a northerly path to Mount Rushmore where we met a couple. They were going to go back to Chicago before heading south. We continued on to Yellowstone, then to Glacier Lake, and, finally, to Crater Lake. We mapped as direct a route as possible to Richmond and it took us through Salt Lake City. Cathy wanted to see if anyone was around here surviving and I wanted to see the sights. We had gone to Temple Square and were stopped."

"Very well, how can we verify your story?"

"Colonel." said one of the men, "that RV is full of radios."

I said, "I guess that we can check my laptop. I saved the maps on its hard drive showing our route. The radios are ham radios. I have them because I am a ham myself. My call is KG4AZQ. That can be verified in the Federal ULS database or on the QRZ website."

"Carl, get on the Internet and follow this fellows instructions on web sites. You stay on the computer; he only tells you. You two continue to watch him."

"Sir."

We went out to Carl's desk and he went to the two web sites. At the ULS site, I gave him my call again and he searched it showing my name and address in Richmond. At the QRZ site, he searched on my call and brought my bio up on the screen. It had a picture of me. He said, "That picture is you. Let's go back to the Colonel."

"Sir, the ULS and the QRZ sites both check out. There is a picture of him on the QRZ site. It don't mention no RV though."

"Sinclair, explain that."

"Yes, sir, I was in California, L.A., on business on the Day. I was trapped there when all the flights were canceled. I figured that, to get home to Richmond, I would have to drive. I went after a RV and mounted radios in it for the trip. I've gotten used to it and think of it as my own now. I've been carrying a pistol that your men took. In the RV are my rifle and shotgun. There are also Cathy's guns and clothes as well as mine. Sir, I would like to go back to Temple Square, retrieve her body, and bury it. She deserves that"

The Colonel asked, "Was she your wife, Mister?"

"No, Sir. We were companions. We had separate beds. We were friends, not lovers. She deserves better, though, than to be left on a sidewalk in a pool of her blood. Other than that, I would like to take my RV and continue my journey."

"We'll see. Henderson, assign two men to go with him in a truck, retrieve the woman's body, and bury it. In the meantime, you and I will decide on what his status will be. Dismissed."

Outside, Henderson said, "You two will go with him. Get a blanket to wrap her in."

"Sir," one of them responded. We left and Henderson went back into the Colonel's office. I prevailed upon the guys to get a blanket from the RV that Cathy had used. We got it and went back to Temple Square. We gently rolled her body in the blanket and they took me to a burial ground on the base. Once she had been buried and I said a little prayer over her grave, we returned to the Colonel's office. I was upset. Cathy was not a lover but had been a good friend and companion. I missed her.

Once inside, the Colonel said, "While you were gone, we searched your RV. We believe you are telling the truth. Now, the question is, 'Should we let you continue or keep you here as a member of our group?'"

"I would think you would let me continue on my trip. A friend, even at a distance, is better than an unwilling member."

"We have considered that. We would like you to be both. We would like you to delay long enough to teach us about this ham radio and get stations on the air. Once that is accomplished, you will be free to leave but we would want you to stay in touch with us as you travel and when you reach your eventual destination."

"I find that agreeable. Tell me something about you guys."

"Okay. Many of us were officers and enlistees here at Dugway on the Day. The Commander closed the base but it made no difference. The virus came in and killed most of us. After the sickness died out, there are forty-seven of us left. We have added another fifteen from Salt Lake City. The only ones from outside the area were the five marauders. You saw us kill the last three today. I'm sorry your friend and you were caught up in the firefight.

"We have plenty of supplies. We can last for years. We have control over our power and some farming ability. We are having a debate on whether to stay or leave for a more temperate climate. At some point, we may have to leave and most of us think it would be better to do it when we can make a plan at our leisure. I think we will move next year. While I'm in charge, we operate by consensus.

"What do we need to get set up with these radios?"

"I will need to talk to your radio operators. We should be able to put together a very good station. I'll let you know. I would guess it will take a couple of weeks to get everything set up and tuned and to train operators."

"Bill, will you take Jim to meet Will. The two of them can get started."

"Yes, sir," said one of my guards or companions, "and I think I would be interested in doing that myself."