The Eruption of Time

Chapter Eleven -Only Some Plans Work

As everyone looked around the clearing there was chatter. Night was falling and people needed to get inside. Tiffany's mom passed out all the food that was in the house, leaving nothing left with how many people there were. They would no longer be feeding a family, but a village. Tiffany's father was marking the new vehicles for repairs, and then started getting a head count. Her brother was getting around the clearing with his crutch and his girlfriend was staring from a distance. Tiffany was starting to stress what they were going to do with that many people. As her father walked over to her, she grew even more anxious.

"We're out of food, but we'll survive that for a few days at the most. Tonight is the problem. All the people can fit in the house, but the real question is if they can be silent for the long night ahead. Every night the monsters showed up and slowly walked around," he said in worry. "They can do it. If we move the dining room table to the corner of the room, we can use it to make a plan while everyone sleeps. We won't have any time to waste once it's morning. As long as everyone has room to move around while they sleep, we should be alright." she said in confidence, but Tiffany was getting worried. Without a second thought the family started to direct people inside one by one, until everyone was inside. It was crowded and people couldn't do much moving from room to room, but they settled and layed down and attempted to sleep.

Meanwhile, Tiffany and her family gathered around the table while the kids and everyone slept. "The first problem we'll run into is food. There are animals, people, and children here. Theres over ten animals and forty-eight people. That is alot of mouths to feed and we will need a solution for this before morning." Tiffany said. Everyone seemed to stare off for a moment and then Jefferson spoke up from his seat at the far end of the table. "We have five fishing rods. The people around here know how to fish, its Virginia for peaches sakes. The pond will pervide fish, its not a perfect fix, but it is something." Everyone nodded in agreement. "We have two bows in this house and a bunch of arrows, as long as the arrows are retrieved it shouldn't be a problem to hunt. Squirls, birds, if we sack a deer that would be nice, but we aren't all that lucky." Tiffany's father spoke out. "With this many people we can make some runs in town, groups of three in oppisit directions of town. That'll find us food, maybe things for the vehicles, anything useful." Her mother said as she poured a cup of water. Tiffany nodded, "Then we have a solution. That won't fix our space problem, but I can stay here with the rest of the people that don't go out and figure some things out, the people have to have some ideas. They are now the people of this land too." Without another word everyone found a place to lay down, Tiffany not being able to sleep with the idea of finding a bed for so many people because she found everyone. Ever so often, grabbing her glass to take a sip of water. Letting her thoughts take the night.

By morning, Tiffany had slept for an hour and came up with valuable options for some room for the people. Tiffany moved the blankets on the window to look at the porch, she could see three lurkers walking through the yard, and she proceeded to check all the windows to find not a single other lurker walking about. Tiffany walks slowly dodging people to not wake them, and made her way to her father. Ever so slightly shaking him awake. "I need your help, there are three lurkers outside. We can take them out before the others wake up and start packing ahead of time." he groaned for a moment and began to think about everyone else. "Alright..." he mumbled and he got out of bed and put on something more flexable. They walked downstairs slowly to not wake a soul and she could almost hear her own heart beat.

She reached for the gun but her father stopped her, "We need to do this quitly." Tiffany hesitated, but left the gun be. Looking around her father grabbed a kitchen knife and she grabbed a pocket knife that was in the kitchen drawer. Stepping outside they picked each one off and drug the bodies away into the woods where no one would have to see them. By time they got back to the house a couple of people had already woken up and started stepping out of the house. Her father stopped her before they reached the house, "Find the ones that work on vehicles or went to welding. We need to fix up some of these cars. At least get a list of any parts we don't have. There has to be more at that auto parts store you went to. What we have should last us a while though, but it never hurts to stop by and grab a couple of things." Tiffany thought for a moment, and she knew he was right. It'd be easier to teach people that already had a hand in mechanics. "Alright, give me an hour." she hugged him. She knew it could be the last and it could not. She just wanted to take the moment.

After finding a couple people they began to work on the cars, take lists of parts, and others began to clean out the old trailer and organize places for parts to go and tools. It didn't take long for people to start to get to work and Tiffany to start working on her next set of plans, she knew getting working vehicles wouldn't be enough. There were younger children that couldn't work the way that the teenagers or adults could and they would need people to be watching them at all times. The question left how many kids were there and who would be able to take care of them and teach them as they get older. There needed to be a system for things as such and she needed to make one fast. Before noon many of the woman came back from the pond with fish, but not nearly enough to feed everyone. They would need to start a garden before the end of spring and they would need to start a hunt. With the time of year they would be able to hunt foxes, rabbits, and smaller game. They would want to avoid deer till the fall. Allowing a fluent population.

Her father showed others how to skin and gut fish and before long they were smoking fish for the long haul. Everyone was starting to settle down for the night, but people were getting comfortable and staying out in the open instead of the house. The only people in the house by nightfall were the children and Jefferson with his rifle. Before long, people would learn how dangerous it would be for them to not stay in hiding, to not be more careful, to not be afraid. Every single person would have to deal with the consequences.