Tsunami

by Benton, W. R.

  “How'd they get your place?”

  “Uh, W . . . We were here, in town, handing out free watermelons, when they overran the house, killed two of our women and almost killed my pa. They were a good twenty men and there was no way we could just march in and take possession of our place again. When we are near the farm now, they shoot to kill. We've killed a few of our cows in fields and we use chainsaws to cut them up, once gutted.”

  “Poaching cows like that has to be fast, or else you'd be dead in a couple of days.”

  “Be here in the morning and I'll take you home and introduce you to the rest of the men.”

  Early the next morning, Jones picked up Ferrell.

  All kinds of booby traps were made around the house and it was to the point that Dan said, “I need a map of all your traps, just to keep us from stepping in them.”

  Terry gave him a map of the safe way out and not where the traps were located. As he handed it to Jonas he said, “Traps are all over the place, and they extend exactly 100 yards from the building, roughly in a circle.”

  Dave said, “This morning, just after sunrise, I saw two people on a small motorcycle looking this place over and they watched me and the herd closely. I couldn't tell if they were interested in the cattle or the horses.”

  “Many people may stop and look and that in itself is okay, as long as they don't step foot on the farm.”

  “Well, I need to get some sleep. I rode night hawk on the cattle and horses and I really enjoyed the job, but it's hard to stay awake all night.” Dave said.

  The earth suddenly rumbled deep down inside and the two men met eyes. Both of them knew what was coming next, an earthquake.

  The rumbling was followed immediately by a sudden and hard shaking of the earth.

  “Earthquake! We need to release the cattle and horses, because it would only take one fissure to take all the animals we have fenced in.” Jonas said, and then ran for the corral.

  At the pens Jonas and Dan began opening the gates and driving cattle from the pen. They then moved to the horses and did the same. The ground was shaking hard now and dust was flying from the house and the barn as they vibrated. The ground opened up near the chicken coops and a coon dog laying there was swallowed up. Minutes later the ground closed again, with no sign of the dog.

  Everyone ran from the house and stood in the barnyard. The last one out was Terry because his neck wound still hurt him, so he moved slowly. Carol screamed for her mother and once near, they hugged each other. The fissures had the nasty smell of rotten eggs and the gas seemed to be coming from every hole in the ground. As the ground danced under their feet, new hills and valleys were formed in a matter of seconds and old ones disappeared, as the ground shifted miles underfoot.

  The ground quivered as the corral opened in a number of spots and it was then Dave came running back. Part of the barn shifted and then collapsed, but no animals were in there. The windows on the first floor of the house cracked and then shattered as the house was tossed around. Then as if giving one last attempt to destroy the earth, a huge crack formed in the barnyard and swallowed two blacken shells of cars. These were the cars burned by Freeman and Jones. Nothing remained untouched by the hard shaking. Carol screamed as the huge crevasse near her closed as quickly as it had opened. Huge oak and hickory trees fell, the shed collapsed and dust covered the land.

  Then, all movement stopped.

  Nothing was heard except the heavy breathing of the survivors and snapping and popping of downed power lines. Dan looked around and many poles were hanging by the lines only; some had fallen, taking the lines to earth with them. All around were signs of destruction and chaos, but everyone appeared to be safe.

  “Wait for the aftershock. I suspect it will happen shortly. That was the worst shake yet and I thought all of us would die.” Terry said.

  “If we stay in open areas and watch for growing fissures, we're safe enough. Have to make sure we're away from tall buildings and be prepared to move at a moments notice.” Dan said.

  “I noticed a slight rumble underground before this quake hit.” Dave said.

  “Are all of you safe? Anyone hurt?” Dan asked.

  Carol said, “A thick book in the living room bounced off the shelf and struck me on the back, so I feel blood there and I hurt right between my shoulder blades.”

  “Turn around and pull the back of your blouse up so I can see the injury.”

  The ground gave two fast, but powerful shakes. Terry turned his head to the left and listened closely for another shake. He heard nothing.

  Finally, he said, “I think that was the aftershock, but others can still occur at any time.”

  “Let me get you in the house to care for you. Your back is covered in blood, so at the very least you were cut. Then, since it's night, you sleep a bit, unless you are hungry. If you want to eat, do so in bed.”

  “Let's go in now. I'm not hungry, and need sleep more than food.” Carol replied and then moved for the door.

  “What about the horses and cows?” Dave asked.

  “I think we can let them stay out now, but we'll have to gather 'em up during the day tomorrow, but tonight we need a night hawk to keep 'em all safe. Night is when most of the bad guys will be out anyway.”

  “I'll pull it again, if you'll let me.” Dave said.

  “You got the job, partner.”

  Dan asked, “Are they all the animals you have?”

  “No, I have some steers in the bottom 40 acres, beside a river, but I usually drive them there in the spring, leave 'em to fatten up, and bring them back here early fall. I use a rented 18 wheeler to take around 100 or 200 head to livestock auction houses after they return. This year I don't reckon any will be going on a ride. I think there are close to 400 cows by the river and usually by now, I've brought them back here, but I've been busy.”

  “Jonas, when are we going out to avenge the death of your mother and aunt?”

  “I'm to check with a snitch tomorrow when I take more veggies to give away. Once I get their address, we'll visit them at night and put an end to their lawlessness. My aunt and mama were good women, too good to die the way they did.”

  “I agree, but honestly didn't know them. No woman deserves to be used and then killed. I'll go with you in the morning and we'll check the place out, if your snitch has any information.”

  “Rolla will be a mess too, so we may have to walk where we're going.”

  Grinning, Dan said, “It's okay, I know how to walk.”

  “You being career military, I'll just bet you do know how to walk. I'm pretty sure they were behind the last attack we had here too. They're white trash and weren't much before the asteroid struck, so they're even less now. I think the only thing that kept their crime under control was the fear of going to jail, and that's not an issue these days.”

  Early the next morning, two hours before sunrise, Dan and Jonas were in the barn, trying to fix it back, only so far it didn't look good.

  Jonas said, “Top support pole is broken in the middle and the west wall has fallen to the ground. We need a crane to life the roof and we don't have one. I'm seriously thinking of removing that side of the barn and move all the hay to the loft on the other side. I have room for it.”

  “You ready to head into town? I'll have my deer rifle and my .45, so we'll be safe enough. You're packing too, so things will be safe enough for us.”

  “I have some melons on the truck, along with a bunch of veggies and one chicken and a small mount of veal to give away or trade. I may trade the chicken and veal, instead of giving it away.”

  “It doesn't matter to me, as long as we make the trip safely. It would be nice to know where Isaac and Matt live too.”

  “You ride shotgun and keep your gun's safety off as we move. Recently there have been some robberies on the road to town, so we'll keep our eyes open. Start shooting at the first sign of trouble.”

  “I don't suspect it takes you long to get rid of free food, huh?”
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br />   “No, but longer than you think. I have to make sure no one comes back around for another serving of whatever I'm giving away. Every trip I have somebody that tries to get a double serving. But, I can't blame them. I suspect most will die in the coming winter.”

  On the way to town, Dan turned on the radio and a voice said, “. . . continue to serve our listeners for as long as we can. The Emergency Broadcasting System stated today that 99% of all homes and businesses are now without power, over 123 million Americans are dead, killed by the Tsunami or earthquakes, and another 80 million Americans have no home or place to sleep safely. Speaking of safety, no one is keeping stats on crime, but unofficial reports indicate the crime rate is way out of hand, since the police and military have broken up. One report stated all crime rates were up 1,000% since the Tsunami. Large, gun-free zones, cities are almost wiped out due to murders, rapes, thefts and the taking of slaves. Slavery is new, but according to the report I read from NYC, women slaves are taken to trade for gold or silver. Men are rarely taken, but the women are supplying a need in the Sex Slave market. With no law enforcement, all we can do is fight our own battles and pray good overcomes bad. For the next hour of listening, we have easy listening tunes, and I take you now to Norman White, who is hosting the next hour, Norman.”

  “Sex slaves?” Dan thought aloud as he turned the radio off.

  “That's a new one, huh? Boy, this road’s a mess now that the snow has melted.”

  “I can see the road is in bad shape. And, just think, it may never be repaired again.”

  “Oh, I don't think like that,” Jonas said and then continued, “because Americans are a tough people, but they've been soft for many years. I think the generation that Dave belongs to will fix the country back to what we remember before the asteroid.”

  “I think another nation will rise from the ashes, but it won't be another America. The founding fathers of American made the strongest and best nation in the history of the world, but all it took was an asteroid to cause us to go under. Millions have died and twice that many have been injured. It will take generations before we are a nation again.”

  “How many other countries have fallen?”

  “The TV the other night said 85% of all the members of the United Nations are no longer functional governments. Well, not much we can do about what has happened until we start rebuilding and right now there is a lot of rubble to get rid of and bones to bury.”

  They rode in silence until they got to the market and then Jonas said, “Keep your rifle off safety and watch our visitors closely. I don't really think they'd hurt me because I am giving them free food, but some of them with mental health issues must be dangerous, especially now when they aren't getting their medication.”

  “I hear you, and I'll keep you safe.”

  Both men exited the truck and climbed up on the truck-bed. Jonas called out, “Free food, just line up and don't crowd me or I'll take my stuff and go back home.”

  He began handing out food and at one point, Isaac Jones was in the crowd and was given his food, but when he whispered that one of the men who killed his mother was walking away, Dan moved to the rear of the truck.

  “The last man to get food, stop, and now!” Dan yelled out.

  When Jones kept walking, Dan raised his rifle and people scattered in all directions, but all away from the direction he was aiming.

  “Jones, stop now or you are a dead man!” Jonas yelled.

  The man ignored both of them and kept walking.

  “Take him down, and now.” Jonas said.

  Dan aimed at the right knee of Jones and fired, knocking the man to the concrete sidewalk, where he screamed and spurted bright crimson blood. Both of his hands went to his injury, where he attempted to restrict the flow of blood. Dan aimed again, fired, and struck the filthy man in the left arm. The force of the big 30.06 slug struck his arm, just above the elbow, and then exited the arm to strike him low and in the side. He began to scream in pain and fear.

  “Stop shooting, and lets get the address for Freeman.” Jonas said.

  “You can question him while I doctor him up. I think he'll die anyway, but he deserves a long slow death for the murder of your women.”

  Pulling a quart of whiskey from under the seat of the truck, Jonas walked to the man and squatting he said, “I'm giving you this whiskey to help kill the pain, as my friend here treats your wounds. I think the bullet to the side will kill you.”

  Pulling his sheath knife, which was razor sharp, Dan said, “I'm going to doctor you up, but if you fight me, I'll kill you. Do you understand?”

  A shot, followed by the ping of the slug ricocheting off the concrete, was heard and Jones finally remembered Ferrell was with him. His hopes to survive just went up a bunch of notches. He had no idea the new man had moved to the side to pee and was not seen by Jonas or Dan.

  “You pull Jones behind the concrete wall there and I'll take on the shooter.” Dan yelled at Jonas, as another bullet struck between them.

  Looking through his scope, he spotted a man with a gun, and moving the cross-hairs on his scope to the center of the man's face, Dan took a deep breath and as he slowly released it, he gently squeezed the trigger. His shot was loud and watching his target in the scope, he saw the bullet strike him slightly above where he'd been aiming. Ferrell's head exploded, sending brain, skull and gore in all directions.

  Dan said, “Target is down, now get you and Jones in the back of the truck and we'll take him home to talk a spell, hurry.”

  Throwing a first aid kit on the bed of the truck between the two men, Dan continued, “Wrap his injuries well, and that's the best we can do for the man. I think after we speak with him, we need to hand him over to your dad.”

  “Get driving then, because we have a nice present for Terry. While he's bleeding like a stuck hog, none of the injuries will kill him, even if untreated. The shot in the arm looks nasty, but the bone was missed and his side wound has a furrow burned on his skin, so it didn't enter his body.”

  He was in the process of getting into the truck, when he noticed an old poker in a 55 gallon steel drum that held a fire. Changing his mind, Dan said, “Uncover his wounds and get prepared to burn them to stop the bleeding.”

  He walked to the fire, pulled the red-white poker from the dancing flames and then moved to Jones. “Hold him down as I burn his arm injury first. Cut the material on his shirt that is covering the wound and hurry, before this steel cools down.”

  Using his knife, Jonas removed the material at the injury and dropped the cloth to the street. Dan placed the glowing metal against his wound and Jones screamed, jerked violently and then passed out. He quickly burned the man’s side and knee. During the last two wounds he burned, Jones made no sounds at all.

  “His injuries are not nearly as bad as I thought, but searing them has stopped all bleeding. The most serious wound is his arm, but the leg and side were just deep scratches. You burned a farrow on the leg and barely broke the skin, just like on his side. He'll survive for sure, unless he gets infected.”

  “He didn't move with the last two burns; is he dead?”

  “No, but the burns will really pain him once he wakes up. Only, it matters little to me, because we are keeping him alive. But I'm doing this for your father, not Jones. Your old man deserves his revenge on this man and Freeman.”

  “Let's go, because we have no idea how many men Freeman has and they may have heard the shots.”

  Hog tying Jones and with him secured, and his bleeding stopped, there was no longer a reason for anyone to ride with him and guard. They tossed him in the back of the truck on top of some cabbages. Jonas climbed in the passenger’s seat and away they went, with Dan driving and cursing the road conditions.

  Just outside of town, a roadblock was set up and all vehicles coming and going, which were very few, were being checked for food. The manning of the position was by a rough looking crew and they were hungry.

  “Roadblock!” Dan said as the
y topped a hill; the men were seen in the shallow valley below.

  “Run the thing. I don't see any vehicles around, so they can't chase us and they'll probably take Jones from us.”

  Dan hit the roadblock doing 80 and struck one of the guards with his front left fender and knocked him high into the air. They struck the long 2 by 4 they used as a gate and splintered it into a thousands pieces, but they didn't even slow down. Rifles and a shotgun fired, except they were through the roadblock so quickly no one hit the truck. They had been caught sleeping.

  Then, one man pulled his rifle up, sighted the truck in and fired at the cab. The bullet struck the back window frame, then ricocheted down toward the floor, striking Jonas on the outside of his thigh as it moved. The bullet finally lodged in the floorboard of the truck.

  “I'm hit.” Jonas said and pulled a handkerchief from his coat pocket and placed it around his leg, where it would serve as a tourniquet until they got home.

  “Took a bullet to your leg, huh? Any other injuries?”

  “No, just the leg and I'm okay. I have the bleeding greatly slowed.”

  “We'll be home in less than 10 minutes, so care for yourself until then.”

  “I hope no bullets struck Jones, he needs to answer a few questions before pa kills him.”

  “Your pa has that right, or so I feel. Any man that will rape and then kill a woman, deserves to die slowly and in a lot of pain. That's what upset me about the death penalty we had before this mess, the criminals died painlessly, with injections. We brought back the gas chamber and hanging in some states and then Texas brought back the electric chair. That's the way to kill a man, fry his butt for rape or a conviction as a pedophile. I think the criminal should feel a lot of pain, especially if the victim went through a lot of suffering.” Dan said.

  “Groups protested inhumane killings in the chair, but they never once considered how much fear and pain the victim felt as they died. The chair is a good deterrent too, because nobody wants to fry to death. I watched a movie once where a man died in the chair and it was a rough way to die. His body was smoking as his eyes popped out of their sockets. He'd taken a family of four and burned each of them to death, one at a time. He burned the parents last, so they got to see their two kids burning. He died almost the same way, smoking and jerking as the electrical current flowed through his body. He died in pain and it was justified in my mind. We need to concentrate on the victim and avenging their death more than we do the feelings of the criminal.”