SODIUM:2 Apocalypse by Stephen Arseneault Page A

of the hedge and got out. Instead of my excited hand waving I had now calmed to the point of being able to speak in a reasonable tone, I would be trying to let them know that I was not a threat. As I slowly walked around the hedge I saw a large plastic dollhouse with the name Sparkles on it, in what was once the corner of someone’s backyard.
    As I drew closer a German Shepard appeared in the dollhouse doorway. It was starring me down and bearing its teeth which prompted me to stop my forward progress. I called to the girls to try to let them know I wanted to help. It took several minutes of my talking before I saw one of them move inside the dollhouse.
    I could hear that there was some quiet discussion going on so I kept my calm and my distance from them. A few minutes later a young teenage girl emerged from the doorway. She had ratty hair, dirty clothes and a dirty face. She stood looking at me suspiciously while one hand stroked the Shepard’s back.
    I again told her I just wanted to help and that I too was alone in all this destruction. The other girl slowly emerged as well. The second girl looked to be about 12 and was obviously a younger version of the first. Somehow these two sisters had survived for more than a month on their own. No doubt their loyal German Shepard had been there to help against any small dangers such as other animals.
    I sat down and continued to talk in an effort to calm their fears. As I sat I noticed a small pile of cereal boxes and cans not far from them. They had been resourceful enough to scavenge enough food to keep healthy so far. They were survivors and I began to like that about them.
    As I sat and talked I couldn’t help but think about Renee and how these two girls would have been about the age of any kids Renee and I might have had. Those thoughts finally shut me up for a moment while I was in thought and gave the girls an opening to speak. They pointed out a nicely camouflaged tree house in what was once a neighbor’s backyard. It had been concealed enough to escape being flattened on that first evening and night of destruction.
    Once again the invaders had only targeted larger structures or vehicles, any obvious signs of man. A planned summer night’s camp out in the tree house had been what had spared them. Their own parents buried in the rubble of what had once been their house only a few hundred feet away.
    We spent almost an hour talking from the short distance before they felt comfortable enough to come over beside me. Their German Shepard Heinz eyeing my every little move or gesture suspiciously. It was a big dog and could no doubt take me down if it wanted to. But I had no intention of giving it a reason to do so. The older sister went by Rachel although her first name was Elizabeth, the younger sister by Janie Lynn. I was extremely happy to know them both.
    Once they had come closer it only took me a few minutes to realize that they were on the thin side. Their pile of cereal boxes had likely been few and far between and certainly did not provide the full nutrition that these two were in need of.
    I had food in the car and the hunger in their faces showed their interest. I tried to travel with at least three days of rations in case old Suzie gave me trouble, so I had enough at this point to share. They soon tore into the sandwiches I offered and I did all I could to try to get them to eat slowly.
    By the time they had stuffed themselves they were at ease around me. This in turn put Heinz at ease with me too. He was obviously a very loyal and usually docile and friendly pet. I was glad that he was comfortable enough to let me open a can of hash for him.
    I thought nothing of using that valuable can of meat on that dog on that day. I was on such a high after finding that others had survived. After our meal and some further talk, the girls, Heinz and I climbed into Suzie and began our journey back to the bunker.
    I was excited at the thought of having some companions and of