by Ricky Sides
“You told me that earlier.”
“I know. What I'm getting at is, if you have the energy…” Margaret stopped talking and checked the back seat to see if Jimmy was listening. Noting that he was staring out the side window she continued, “If you have the energy, I'd like to spend the night with you tonight.”
Jim smiled and wrapped his arm around Margaret. He gave her an affectionate squeeze, and then said, “I think I can find the strength somewhere.”
“I wouldn't be too sure if I were you,” purred Margaret.
In the back seat of Jim's car, Jimmy stared out the side window. His right hand rested on the sack of food that would bring hope to his starving family. He was glad that Jim was happy. He had only known the man a couple of hours, but he knew he already liked him. He also knew that Jim was his friend. Unnoticed by the adults in the front seat, the boy wept silent tears of gratitude. Tonight his sister would not go to bed hungry.
Chapter 6
Jim woke up early the next morning. He turned to the woman sleeping in the bed beside him and looked at her; she looked so innocent and childlike.
Being careful not to wake her up, he slipped out of the bed and quietly got dressed. Out of habit, he walked into the living room and turned on the television set to watch the morning news.
The newscaster with the sad eyes was not on the air. In his place was a woman who was smiling a lot. She reported that last night had been the first night in the past three weeks that no major natural disaster had struck within the borders of the continental United States.
Jim listened to the news attentively. He still had no real idea just what was causing all of the natural disasters. Scientists were split in their opinions, with some blaming it on global warming and others saying that we were about to enter a new ice age. One even suggested that an asteroid was too close to the planet, thus it was influencing earth’s gravity.
Then you had the real fringe people coming out of the woodwork with their theories:
1. The earth was being terraformed by aliens as a prelude to invasion from outer space.
2. The earth was being terraformed by ocean dwellers as a prelude to invasion from inner space.
3. This is what happens when you shoot a spotted owl.
4. This is what happens when you drill deep mines into the earth to use up the natural resources.
5. This is a cycle that the planet goes through every one million two hundred years, and may be what happened to the dinosaurs.
No, Jim didn’t know why the disasters were occurring, but he was almost certain that the theories being advanced by the media were in fact not even close to the truth.
He was about to turn off the set when a film came on the screen. It showed an elderly couple being beaten to the ground by a gang of marauders. Sick at heart, Jim listened to the story of the new breed of men that seemed to be emerging in the absence of law and order. But he knew they weren’t a new breed at all. They were in fact an old breed. On many occasions, Pete and Jim had discussed the likelihood that if society broke down such men would emerge to ravage the countryside. Now he saw it beginning and he knew it was not likely to end soon.
Jim heard the sound of footsteps behind him and turned to see Margaret standing in the doorway of the living room. She came to him and kissed him lightly on the lips. “I'll fix breakfast for us before I leave. What would you like?”
Jim took her hands in his and pulled her down into his lap. “How about a better good morning kiss as an appetizer?”
So, with a gentle passion she kissed him long and deep. The kiss seemed to explore his soul and he responded with a search of his own.
Margaret broke the kiss and looked at Jim with a strange expression. She said, “It's a good thing I'm going to my sister's today. I think I'm about to fall in love with you.” Then she got up and said, “You haven't answered my question. What would you like for breakfast?”
“Whatever you feel like cooking. Why don't you surprise me? I think I'd like that.”
“I'll see what I can do,” then she headed for the kitchen.
Jim got up and walked into the spare bedroom. The inside of the room looked like any other bedroom you’d see in other homes. This was a special room because it was his armory and also his map room. The weaponry and maps were all safely hidden in this room. Jim used the room as his armory because thieves seldom do as thorough job searching guest rooms as they do the master bedrooms.
Jim walked to the center of the room and looked around. Pete had stayed in this room many times. There were still several of his personal possessions in evidence. He looked at a few books that Pete had left behind and made a mental note to take them to one of his retreats.
Jim snapped out of his reverie and went to work. He walked to the closet and removed several boxes, which were filled with useless articles of clothing, and stacked them at the foot of the bed. Then he removed the clothes that were hung in the closet and laid them neatly on the bed. Next, he removed the bar that had supported the clothes hangers.
Stepping into the closet, he reached up to the light fixture there and screwed the light bulb in. It had been left deliberately loose so that it would not work when the switch was turned on. A burglar would naturally assume that the bulb had burned out and never been replaced. Next, Jim carefully probed at the wall of the closet with the tip of his pocketknife blade. He soon found the edge of the tape he was seeking. It had been painted to match the wall. He peeled it away from the wall. When that was accomplished, he removed the piece of sheetrock that had been held in place by the tape. That revealed a secret compartment in his wall.
Reaching inside that compartment, he removed several plastic wrapped bundles. These he sat on the bed beside the clothes. Next, he went back inside the closet and removed a large metal box about the size of a breadbox. He laid that box on the floor beside the bed. Jim smiled to himself as he examined the items he’d removed from storage. They appeared to be in as good condition as when he’d stored them six years ago.
He replaced the sheet rock panel and the contents of the closet. He didn’t want anyone who happened to come inside his house, after he left, to learn his secrets. You never know when an enemy might learn something they can use against you.
Margaret came into the room as he was in the process of opening the plastic wrapped bundles. “Breakfast will be ready in a minute,” she said. Taking in the cache of weapons she said, “Let me guess, just more insurance, right?”
“Good guess,” replied Jim with a smile.
He studied her for a moment before he said, “After breakfast we need to talk about some things.”
“Okay. I'd like to talk to you about a couple of things too.” Sniffing the air she laughed and said, “I'd best get back in the kitchen before I manage to burn breakfast.”
Jim watched her as she spun around and headed back to the kitchen and then he started opening more of the plastic wrapped weapons. At the time that he’d hidden the weapons in the closet, he’d had no way to know how long they would be in storage. So, he had given each weapon a thorough cleaning and oiled them with a generous amount of oil. After that, he’d wrapped them in several layers of plastic garbage bags, securing them with duct tape at all the seams being careful to remove all of the trapped air inside that he could.
After he had gotten one of the weapons unwrapped, he was pleased to see that his precautions had paid off. The AK-47 semiautomatic rifle was still in excellent condition. He removed the magazine, and worked the bolt a few times to check the weapon for function. Next, he checked the ammo in the magazine. Satisfied, he expertly wiped down the weapon, removing the excess oil and replacing the magazine in the rifle.
He took the bundles of weapons into the living room, where he was joined by Margaret. “Breakfast is ready, Hon,” she said. Almost shyly, she added, “I hope you like it.”
“If it tastes as good as it smells, I couldn't help but love it,”
They went into the kitchen and sat down to a
great breakfast. Jim showed his appreciation of the great meal by eating with gusto. They had sausage, eggs, and toast and she had even made a bowl of gravy. He leaned back in his chair and said, “That's the best breakfast I've had in a long time. I’m impressed with your cooking skills.”
“Why thank you, I appreciate the compliment.”
“You said you wanted to talk to me about something. What's on your mind?”
”I wanted to tell you that I think what you did last night for Jimmy was nice.”
Shaking his head, he said, “It was nothing. The boy and his family needed help. I just wish there was more I could do more for them, but I can't.”
”Maybe it will be enough,” she replied. “I know the family and they are hard working people. As soon as Jimmy's father is better, I am certain he’ll find a way to feed his family.”
“I'm sure he will,” Jim replied and then he added, “I liked them and they do seem to be decent people.”
“You gave them enough food to last about a week. I'm sure that by then, things will turn around for them.”
Jim regarded the woman carefully. They had discussed all this the previous night so he was sure that she had something else on her mind. Finally, he said, “I'm fairly sure there is something else on your mind.”
“Well, yes there is,” she hesitantly replied.
“Go ahead then. I'm listening.”
“It scares me to think about all of the things that have been happening in the past month. Yet, you seem to take it all in stride, as if you’ve been expecting it. You seem, well, ready for it.”
He nodded his head and said, “For years, I've had a feeling that something like this was coming and I should warn you that I think the worst is yet to come.”
She stared at him in shocked surprise. “How could things get any worse than they are now?”
There was a deep sadness in his eyes when he responded. “I believe that the earthquakes that have already destroyed so much of the country will occur several more times before they begin to diminish. I also believe that within a month, this country will have no real government left. It will collapse in the aftermath of these disasters.”
Margaret was shocked and she asked, “If that were to occur who would see to it that the people are fed and protected from the roving gangs of outlaws that are cropping up all over the country?”
“The people will have to feed themselves and they will also have to protect themselves as best they can.”
“That's a nightmare scenario!” she said, aghast at the thought of what he was suggesting.
“I know,” he replied.
How that conversation might have ended if it had continued its path uninterrupted, they would never know, because at that moment the sound of loud and angry voices reached their ears. Jim got up from his chair, went to the kitchen door, and opened it just in time to witness a scene that disgusted him.
He saw an elderly couple who were being harassed by three men. Jim walked out onto his porch. Behind him, Margaret walked to the door to see what was happening.
Jim stepped down off the porch just as one of the men hit the elderly man and knocked him to the ground. It occurred to him that this situation was almost identical to the one profiled by the news media that very morning. Here was an old couple with their groceries just trying to get home. A gang of marauders was attacking them. It had angered him when he’d seen it on the news, but he had been helpless to do anything about it. This time he wasn’t helpless and this time he intended to see to it that the marauders got what was coming to them.
The marauders were so intent on harassing the old couple that they were not even aware of Jim's approach. They were too busy laughing at the old woman's pleas for mercy and that made Jim even angrier.
One of the marauders lifted his hand in preparation to strike the old woman. The woman saw it and cringed in fear at the expected blow, but the strike never landed.
Coming up from behind, Jim grabbed the man's arm and twisted it until he held it at an angle behind his body with the elbow joint locked. Jim shifted his body, raised his free arm into the air, and then he drove his own arm downward like the piston of an engine. He smashed his elbow into the hyper-extended elbow of the marauder. With this same blow, Jim had often broken bricks in the past. This time he broke a marauder’s arm.
The marauder, his arm dangling at an odd angle, screamed in agony. Jim chopped him in the side of the neck rendering him unconscious.
The other two men turned to look at Jim. “Looks like we got ourselves a karate man,” one of them sneered.
“Wrong, it’s not karate. That was Wing Chun Kung Fu,” he replied.
The marauder laughed as he pulled out a long dagger and said, “Well this is a knife and I’m going to kill you with it.” He lunged at Jim with the dagger outstretched.
Jim heard Margaret scream as he battled the marauder. He realized that she was afraid he was going to be killed. He considered that nonsense because as far as he was concerned he was in no real danger.
He grabbed the man's wrist just behind the dagger and twisted savagely, locking the man's elbow. Faster than most eyes could follow, his free hand slammed into the enemy's locked elbow. His palm strike broke the man's elbow with an audible snap.
Jim caught the dagger as the man dropped it and stuck it in his belt. “Thanks for the blade. I needed another one,” he said with a laconic grin. That enraged the attacker who charged at him in an attempt to tackle him. Jim neatly sidestepped the injured man and kicked him in the butt as he staggered past, sending the man sprawling into the street face first.
Jim spun to face the last marauder who immediately turned and darted toward the old woman. Jim knew that he was going to try to take her hostage. He leaped between the old woman and the would-be attacker and then he punched the man's face.
The marauder staggered backward from the force of the blow and Jim followed him. He waited for the thug to try to punch him and when he did, Jim grabbed his arm with both of his hands. One hand grabbed the wrist, and the other locked onto the man just below his elbow. He shoved downward violently with both of his hands, forcing the marauder's arm down with a rapid motion. At the same time, he was driving his right knee up toward the descending arm. His knee broke the assailant's forearm with a loud snapping sound.
The marauder dropped to the ground and screamed in rage and pain. Jim looked at the man without as much as a trace of pity on his face. He said, “Spread the word. Your kind won’t be tolerated as long as I'm in the neighborhood.”
Jim turned his back on the three marauders in contempt and helped the old man to his feet. The old woman said, “Thank you, if you hadn't helped us, I don't know what would have happened.”
“My pleasure, Ma'am,” Jim said with a charming western flair causing the old woman to smile at him. “I just wish I'd gotten here before they hurt your husband.”
“I think he’ll be ok. They shoved him around some and hit him a couple of times but he seems to be coming around.”
Margaret appeared beside him at that moment with a wet washcloth. She washed the old man's face as he looked around in confusion. Suddenly he yelled, “Look out!”
Spinning around, Jim saw one of the marauders raising a revolver and pointing it in his direction.
Years of training made Jim react properly to the threat, with no need for conscious thought. His right hand flashed down to his holstered Smith and Wesson. His pistol cleared the holster and fired before the marauder could get off a shot. The man took the bullet in the forehead and died instantly.
Jim knew that he’d been very lucky. The marauder had tried to use the revolver with his left hand because Jim had broken the right arm. That and that alone had given him the time he had needed to win the confrontation.
The old man said, “That was a good shot, son.” Then noting the expression on Jim's face he added, “That was the first time you ever killed a man wasn't it?”
Nodding sadly, Jim said, “I knew the
day might come, but I feel like I’ve lost something.”
Jim looked into the old eyes of the man he’d helped and saw a compassionate understanding in them. “Don't feel sorry for the man that you killed, son. He'd have shot you in the back and thought nothing of it.”
“I know,” said Jim. He walked over to the man he’d just killed and took the gun from his hand being careful to touch only the barrel. He then walked over to the two surviving marauders who were struggling to get to their feet. “Remember what I said,” he warned. “You're kind isn't wanted around here.” Staring hard into their eyes with a cold expression, he continued. “If I ever see you two again, I'm going to assume you’re there to kill me because I killed your buddy. I’ll be forced to kill you at that point to defend myself. There won’t be any warning, I’ll just kill you. The best thing you can do is leave town, now.”
The two marauders nodded their understanding and left without saying another word.
Jim turned to the old man and said, “Do you need to come in the house and rest before you go home?”
The old man shook his head, but said, “You've done enough for us already. We need to be getting on home.” He extended his hand and said, “I'd like to shake the hand of the man who came to our rescue.”
Jim shook that old man's hand and said, “My name's Jim Wilison, and as I said before, I was glad to help.”
The old man and woman picked up their groceries and headed on down the street to their home two blocks away.
Chapter 7
Jim and Margaret went back into the house and sat down at the kitchen table. He let out an explosive sigh and said, “I guess I'd better call the police and report the shooting.”
Jim called the police, and as he expected, he had a hard time getting through. He finally spoke with a sergeant who sounded very tired and overworked. When Jim reported what had happened, the sergeant said, “Just stay where you are and I'll send a car over to get your statement.”