Prepper's Apocalypse | Book 1 | Prepper's Apocalypse

by Newman, AJ

  They snuck up between the vehicles just as a man walked around the corner of the house. He had an AR 15 cradled in his arms and a large flashlight. He whistled as he walked and didn’t seem to be worried about anyone approaching the ranch. Tom couldn’t make out who he was, but the man’s build was wrong to be Jack. Jack was shorter and stockier. Tom saw the man walk into the barn. “Let’s go back to the cabin. I’ll take you a different way, so we don’t wear a path into the grass.”

  They had only walked for a few minutes when Tom heard a familiar bark. “That sounds like Duke.”

  Rick asked, “You had a dog? You never mentioned a dog.”

  Tom laughed. “Duke just showed up a couple of months before we left for Hawaii. He became the dog who wouldn’t leave. Jackie fed him behind Granny B’s back. She never liked the dog.”

  They listened, and a minute later, Duke howled his customary howl that said he’d jumped a rabbit or treed a squirrel. Tom said, “I guess he didn’t like us as much as Jackie liked him. Let’s get back to the bunker.”

  Jackie saw them coming across the opening in front of the cabin and challenged them, “Stop! Or I’ll shoot.”

  “Sis, I know you saw us. Stop trying to impress Rick.”

  Jackie joined the others on the front porch. “Well, what did you find?”

  “There are a bunch of trucks and SUVs parked in front of the house, and someone I didn’t know was guarding the place.”

  Rick said, “I don’t think this bunch is the gang from Ashland.”

  That got Tom’s attention. “How so?”

  “The man looked like an Oregon redneck, not a tattoo-covered biker with a chain on his wallet and a doo-rag.”

  “I’ve seen several people from Jock’s gang and killed them. They had a lot of tattoos, and all but one wore a doo-rag and had the chain on their wallets.”

  Jackie squinted her eyes and rubbed her jaw. “Why does it matter? Let’s ambush the bastards and take back our home.”

  Tom turned and snorted. “It would be nice to know how many there are, and do they have more people coming and going? I have no problem taking our home back, but we need to know what we’re up against. We also need to dig up some of the weapons, food, and gear we have stashed around the ranch.”

  Rick was surprised. “I know you mentioned that you were preppers but burying supplies is a bit extreme, isn’t it?”

  “No, not at all, if you want to survive and can afford it. Grampa started out small and grew the project over the years. I came into some money several months back and purchased some better weapons and many of those boxes of survival food. I even had the supplier put the food into plastic barrels and ship them to Klamath Falls, ready to bury. We drove over and picked them up, so no one would know about the purchase or what was in the barrels. I also bought a small backhoe to dig the holes.”

  Rick had a question but listened patiently. “How deep are these drums buried? I’m not a fan of shovels but have been intimate with a few in my life.”

  “The drums are usually buried standing up with the top of the drum at least a foot under the ground. I have a map my grandpa made, and we kept adding to it.”

  Rick couldn’t help but chuckle. “I suppose the map is hidden in the house.”

  “Yes and no. There are three copies. One is hidden in the house's basement, another is hidden down by the creek in a hollow tree. The last and most important one is behind a brick in this cabin’s fireplace. Each of us also knows where a couple of the drums are buried.”

  Rick then asked a question that made Jackie and Tom cringe. “Where are the shovels? Let’s dig up some real food.”

  “Crap,” Tom slapped his leg.

  “I don’t like the sound of that. Crap means bad.”

  “We don’t have any shovels. They’re all in the barn,” Tom moaned.

  *

  Chapter 18

  Southern Oregon – East of Ashland – “The Ranch”

  Granny B stood just inside the doorway, heard the laughter, and then groans. She walked out to join them. “What’s all the commotion about? You know we’re only a half a mile or so from the ranch.”

  Jackie slapped her forehead. “Sorry, we were talking about digging up some of the hidden barrels of supplies when we figured out we don’t have any shovels.”

  Granny B stood there with wide-open eyes, speechless. “I told your grandpa to hide some shovels over twenty years ago when I pointed this problem out to him. Now, where did he hide them? Oh, mercy! I can’t remember.”

  Rick and Tom drew their hunting knives at the same time. They saw each other’s long-bladed blades and laughed. Tom said, “Let’s go dig some dirt. Could a couple of the ladies come with us to help move the dirt? Grab some pans and that bucket by the well. I know where two are buried on the other side of the well. We’ll get them first and then get the map. ”

  Granny B reached up over the door on the inside of the cabin and handed a stainless steel rod with a handle on one end to Tom. He had a puzzled look and then smiled. “This is a probe to find the barrels.”

  “Bingo,” said Granny B.

  Brenda’s foot was still hurting, so only Sam and Jackie followed the men to the first dig.

  Tom walked to the well and then looked at the half-red ball poking its light through the heavy foliage. He paced off ten paces heading east and then twenty paces north. He pointed to the ground and stabbed the rod into the loose soil. Nothing! He stopped. “Sam, go find some sticks to mark my misses. This might be harder than I thought.”

  Stabbing the rod a foot and a half deep in the four directional points around the original found more nothing. Tom had pushed the rod into the ground about a foot away from the center point. Sam stuck a stick in each of the holes, while Tom made four more holes straight out from the center a foot from the others. “Well, this sucks. I remember burying these drums, and they’re only a foot deep.”

  He changed to sticking the probe in the ground at forty-five-degree angles from the other probed spots but again, found nothing. “Has there been an earthquake, or did my memory get wiped out?”

  Sam stood there, looking at the metal rod and then the marker sticks. Her head looked up toward the sun, which was now barely above the horizon. “What time of year and day did you step off the distance?”

  “I remember it well. It was mid-summer and around 11:00 in the morning.”

  “Did you use a compass?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well?”

  Tom’s face flushed. “Granny B! Could you bring a compass?”

  Granny B took a minute to fetch a compass from her bugout bag and had a bewildered look on her face.

  Tom took the compass and backed up to the well. He paced off ten steps heading east. He was shocked that every step took him a few inches off his original direction. He was two feet north where he first turned south. He aimed the compass and saw a tree positioned exactly south of his current position. He began pacing the steps and was amazed at how far off he was from the search's original center.

  “Darn, I should have known to use a compass,” Tom said as he raised his hand for a high five with Sam. Then he patted her on the back. “Good job.”

  Sam didn’t smile and walked over to fetch her pile of sticks. Tom only stuck the rod in the ground three times before hitting something. “Pay dirt!”

  Rick and Tom began digging with the knives to loosen the soil, and then Tom scooped a bucket of dirt away when they’d loosened enough to fill the bucket. They piled the earth close to the hole to refill the hole and help keep the barrel hidden for future storage. “Hey, we can move the handle now.”

  Tom moved the small locking tab and pulled the handle away from the drum. The locking band loosened, and he pulled the top away. “There’s a list of the contents in this baggie. I’ll read it.”

  He read the list, which was mainly food, but the barrel did have two older Ruger P95 pistols, three magazines, and a thousand rounds of 9mm bullets. Tom began pass
ing their new weapons and supplies to the others. When he’d picked off all he could reach, he pulled a string loose from its tape on the side of the drum. He pulled several boxes of MREs out and passed them on to the others. “Grandpa planned to make removing the contents as easy as possible. He also knew to place the guns on top, just in case we needed them more than food.”

  Sam and Jackie weren’t thrilled with the contents of the first barrel. Jackie wanted some ARs, and Sam wanted something better to eat than the MREs. “Tom, we need some ARs or AKs. What’s in the next barrel?”

  “I ain’t sure, but I think we placed a couple of rifles in the barrel along with some Wise 72 hour meal boxes. I do know where our last six barrels are, and they all have at least one AR. I bought expensive ones with the lottery winnings, but two are buried in the barn, and the rest are buried too close to the ranch house to dig up now.”

  Sam carried the last load over to the cabin. “Granny B, why don’t we go down to the house and tell those people to leave. Tom said they were probably his ranch hand’s family and friends.”

  Granny B wondered if the girl had a brain. “Dear, what happens if they don’t want to leave and have AK47s and AR15 rifles? They’re both semi-automatic and can have thirty round magazines. We have one AR, two .308s, and some dinky rimfire rifles. They would massacre us.”

  “We have a bunch of 9mm pistols.”

  “Honey, a pistol is only a means to get a rifle. A rifle is only a means to get an AR or AK. It’s all about firepower and range. Don’t worry, you’ll learn if you stick with us,” said Granny B.

  Sam read between the lines. “I plan to stick close to Tom and all of you. I feel safe with you because you know so much about survival.”

  The second container had one of the older AR15s, two hundred rounds of ammunition, dehydrated camping meals in bags, several bags of beans, rice, sugar, and salt. It also contained some small survival tools such as fire starters, thermal blankets, and knives. Tom gave the AR to Rick. “You have the most training with these. I’ll keep my AR15 and give my .308 to Jackie. We can provide backup and snipe while you cover for us. I want to see if Jack, our ranch hand, is there and try to get him off to the side. We need to know what we’re up against.”

  Tom discussed his plan to catch Jack away from the others and find out who had taken over the Clarks’ ranch. Tom explained it might take several days to find Jack by himself. He told everyone to be patient and then asked Jackie and Rick to join him on the team to interrogate Jack. Granny B and Sam volunteered to be on the team, but Tom politely let them down. Telling Granny B that they might have to run for their lives versus her slow and steady walk wasn’t something Tom relished doing.

  “Granny, I know you’re a better long-range shooter than anyone in the group, but we might have to haul ass back up in the hills to get away from the others.”

  “So, you’re saying I’m too old to cut the mustard?”

  “No. Not at all. I’m saying that you have earned the right to stay up here and help guard our temporary home.”

  “Smartass! I really want to go, but I guess you’re right about the running part. My knees were replaced twenty years ago. I think my left one is wearing out. I guess there won’t be any surgeries like that for a long time, if ever again.”

  Tom nodded, “I agree, but what about our large naval ships and huge government bunkers? I know the ships are like small cities. Will they be able to use their technology to jump-start us back on the path to recovery?”

  Granny B replied, “I think they would, but wouldn’t they only be used for the larger cities along the coast and maybe up the Mississippi and other large rivers? I think I remember seeing on the news that most of our major ships were hardened against EMP blasts.”

  That jogged Tom’s memory. “Those new battleships the Navy launched in the late 20s and early 30s have the rail guns and pulse cannons. More importantly, they all have extra nuclear power plants to supply the enormous energy to hurl projectiles a hundred miles. That power could be used to power several small cities.”

  “Son, I’ve always thought that the large cities would devolve into chaos, killing, and looting. I believe the military will seek out small cities that survived the chaos to begin the rebuilding process.”

  Tom’s head dropped and then rose. “Does that mean we should travel to the coast to be safer in one of those cities?”

  Granny B tersely replied, “Hell no! We stay here and take back our ranch!”

  “Amen,” was Tom’s answer.

  *

  Chapter 19

  Southern Oregon – The Clark ranch.

  Jackie watched the ranch house while Tom and Rick slept. She’d been watching since one in the morning and had only seen the guard walking around the house. She heard movement and saw Rick roll over and look at her. He said, “I can barely see you. Are you awake?”

  “Yes, and you have another half hour to sleep before it’s your turn.”

  Rick lay flat on his back and stretched while stifling a yawn. “I never liked sleeping on the cold ground. Of course, over in the desert, the ground was usually hot until early the next morning. I don’t miss those hundred and twenty-degree days.”

  He lay next to her and watched her scan the ranch with their only night vision scope, which was mounted to her .308. “See anything interesting?”

  “Yes, I think the new guard is Jack. I hope so. We’ve been here doing this for three days, and this might be our chance to get him off alone.”

  Rick said, “Make sure it’s him. If yes, I’ll wake Tom.”

  Jackie saw the man’s face in the glow of the kerosene lamp. It was Jack. “Wake Tom up. It’s Jack.”

  Rick nudged Tom’s shoulder. Tom’s head lifted. “Is it my turn? Give me a minute to wake up.”

  “Jack just took over guarding the ranch,” Rick said.

  Tom jumped out from under his Tyvek sheet and crawled over to Jackie. “Sis, is it Jack?”

  “Yes, I had a good look at him by the lamp. He’s talking with the other guard but will soon be walking around the barn and back of the house. We can catch him then.”

  Tom gathered his gear. “Grab what you need, and let’s move down to the barn. Remember your part, and hope we get a few breaks. The moonlight is a friend and an enemy. If we can see them, they can see us. Let’s go.”

  Jack left the other man on the porch, having a last cigarette before going to sleep. He could see well enough to walk his route but kept the powerful flashlight handy if he heard a noise in the brush or woods. He’d walked guard duty dozens of times and had only seen a few dogs and coyotes. His rifle was slung over his shoulder, and he whistled to break the lonely silence. Jack walked around the barn and past the old tractor when someone grabbed him from behind. Another person took his pistol. He couldn’t scream for help with a knife at his throat and a hand over his mouth.

  “Jack, what happened here?”

  Jack tried to speak but only stuttered. He thought Tom and the other Clarks were dead. “You’re supposed to be dead. You were on a flight home when the attack happened. How did you survive?”

  “We’ll talk about that later. Who are these people, and what are they doing at my ranch?”

  Jack was confused and angry at the same time. “You were dead. I told a friend to bring his family to join June and me at the ranch to be safe. My friend told another friend, and twenty people drove up three days after the attack. I only know my friend, and he’s a good man. The others took over and claimed the ranch for themselves. They said I could stay if I didn’t cause any trouble.”

  Tom released Jack from his grip and sheathed his knife. His fists were now clenched, and his teeth clamped down. Then he spoke. “What will these men say when you pass on my message? It will say they have twenty - four hours to leave or be run away.”

  Jack shook with fear. “I wouldn’t do that. The leader and five of his men plan to make a home here and are armed to the teeth.”

  Rick inspected Jack’s r
ifle. “This is a high-end AR with all the gadgets. This one has a laser, red dot, and NV scopes. Is this what the others have?”

  “They all have expensive ARs and fancy magazine fed shotguns. My friend heard one of them say they broke into a gun store in Medford the day after the lights went out. They have tons of ammunition. You’ll be slaughtered.”

  Tom rubbed his jaw. “These are just like the ones I purchased a month ago.”

  Jackie pushed a finger into Jack’s chest. “How is June?”

  “She’s been drafted to cook and clean up after the others. My friend James and his wife Alice are treated the same as June and me. We’re not slaves, and we can leave any time we want, but we’d have to leave with only the clothes on our backs. It was better to be servants than to be out in the cold.”

  Jackie then surprised Tom with the next question. “Do these people know anything about ranching, or are they just killing cattle to eat?”

  “They’re city folk. “I’ve had to butcher several cows for them. Why?”

  “Do they know that most of the cattle are up in the high country grazing?”

  Jack saw where she was going. “No, and I wasn’t going to tell them. I hoped they’d only kill the few cows around the barn and then have to move on. They didn’t plant anything or make an effort to make the ranch work for them. I think they planned on June and me doing everything on the ranch, and they didn’t have a clue what needed to be done. I go out and feed the horses and cattle while June feeds the goats and chickens.”

  Tom tapped Rick on the shoulder. “Watch him while Jackie and I talk.”

  “I just can’t believe Jack and June would turn against us,” Jackie pleaded.

  Tom liked what Jack had said about the others, knowing nothing about ranching. “I feel the same way. I think Jack helped us a lot by not telling them about the stock up in the hills. Let’s give them a small test and see if they can be trusted.”