by Victor Zugg
The flank of the two men behind the pickup was completely open to Sam and Chet.
Sam rushed forward, across the open parking lot, toward the two men. He had his pistol outstretched and trained on both men, ready to fire on either one that swung his weapon in Sam’s direction. He heard Chet’s footfalls to his left.
Sam realized that his focus was so intent on the two men, he had entered a tunnel vision state, which is not good in a tactical situation. He consciously took a split second to scan his peripherals. He saw Charlie still in the Hummer to the right and Chet running beside him to the left. He didn’t see anything that would constitute a threat, other than the two men thirty feet in front of him.
One of the men must have caught the movement approaching on their flank. He looked in Sam’s direction. The two men locked eye to eye. The man was just starting to bring the barrel of his rifle around when Sam heard two rapid blasts from his left. One of Chet’s rounds caught the man in the right hip, which spun him around. The barrel of his rifle dropped as he fell back and sank to the ground.
His partner jerked his head toward Sam and Chet and then immediately dropped his rifle in the bed of the truck. He raised his hands as he sunk to his knees.
Sam and Chet came to a screeching halt, poised directly over the two men. Guns pointed. The man on the ground winced in agony as he tried to stem the flow of blood with his hands. The other remained on his knees with his hands up.
Sam saw Hank, Bill, and Lance leave their cover and rush forward with their weapons at the ready. They converged on the pickup as Sam scooped up the rifle from the asphalt, next to the downed man, and placed it in the bed of the truck. He then immediately went to check on the other man down on the asphalt, the one apparently shot by Hank or Bill. Blood pooled around the man’s head. A wound gaped from the back of his neck. Sam didn’t bother checking; the man was obviously dead. Juan would be happy to know that his Dad’s killer didn’t survive the day.
Sam returned to the group standing around the two other men on the ground. “What happened to the food that was in the back of this truck?” Sam asked the man on his knees.
The man looked at Sam. Understanding registered on his face. “There wasn’t that much,” he said. “Dropped it off at his house.” He pointed to the man with the neck wound. “His wife was supposed to watch over it until we returned to divide it up.”
“Did he shoot the police chief at the department parking lot earlier today?” Hank asked.
The man took a moment to think as he stared at Hank.
“Was he the one?” Hank shouted.
“Yeah, he did the shooting,” the man said.
“Who are the guys inside the store?” Chet asked.
The man jabbed his finger at the dead man on the asphalt. “His brothers. We picked them up when we dropped the food at the guy’s house.”
“So they weren’t at the parking lot when the chief was shot,” Sam said.
“No, they had nothing to do with that,” the man said.
The man, wounded and bleeding on the asphalt, groaned. “If you people are through talking, I need a doctor.”
Chet knelt next to him and examined the wound. “It doesn’t look like it hit bone; probably just a flesh wound.” Chet stood up. “But he could still bleed to death.”
The man pressed harder on his wound.
“Let’s put him in the bed of the truck,” Sam said. “We’ll drop him by the hospital. There’s an outpatient center near the police department. The dead guy, too.” Sam pointed his pistol at the man on his knees. “Help your friend up and into the truck.”
“What about the brothers,” Chet asked.
“I think we’ll leave the brothers where they are,” Sam said. He pointed his pistol at the man attempting to lift his friend into the truck bed. “You can walk back and release them if you want.”
The man nodded.
Hank lowered the tailgate and then helped load the wounded man and his dead friend.
Sam reached in the bed and grabbed the two rifles. “You got your rifles back,” he said to Hank and Bill. Sam put them in the truck’s cab. “We’ll meet you guys at the hospital,” Sam said, as he and Chet started walking toward the front entrance. “We’ll be ten minutes behind.”
Charlie met Sam and Chet on their way to the store.
“Let’s get that PVC pipe,” Sam said, “and some fence posts.
Chet veered off toward the Hummer. “I’ll back the Hummer through the front doors.”
***
Chet pulled the Hummer into the outpatient center parking lot and stopped next to the Ford pickup. He, Sam, and Charlie met Hank, Bill, and Lance as they came out of the front entrance.
“You were right,” Hank said. “Flesh wound. He’ll be fine. Same doctor that checked on Martinez. He took a look at Bill, too.”
“Did you tell the doc that the guy was with the group that shot Martinez,” Chet asked.
“I may have mentioned it,” Hank said.
“Did the doc say anything about what Juan is going to do?” Sam asked.
“Juan will be staying with his uncle,” Hank said. “Apparently, Juan’s mother died some years back.”
“Now what?” Bill asked.
“Well, you have your truck and rifles back,” Sam said. “Sorry about the food.”
“The one pickup load we got won’t go very far for over four hundred people,” Hank said.
The group started walking back to the vehicles.
“Your best bet would be to centralize as much food as possible from the residents, and then open a soup kitchen,” Chet said. “That way everyone gets fed equally.”
“Until it’s gone,” Bill said.
“Your people can’t sit around and wait for their next meal,” Chet said. “They’ll need to work.”
“Hunt, fish, collect wild edibles,” Charlie said. “That’s about all any of us can do.”
“Most of Townsend’s population is elderly,” Bill said.
“Everyone should be able to contribute in some way,” Sam said.
“You’re right,” Hank said. “We’ll work it out. What are you guys going to do?”
“Hunt, fish, and collect wild edibles,” Chet said.
Sam opened the Hummer’s passenger door and hopped in. “We also need to think about security. Some of those people from Marysville and beyond will be headed this way.”
Hank slid behind the wheel of the pickup. “Some sort of militia?”
“Exactly,” Sam said. “See how many people in town would be willing and able. We’ll pop back over tomorrow afternoon to talk about it.”
Chet got in and started the engine while Charlie pushed at the PVC pipe, chicken wire, and fence posts to give him more room in the back.
Hank waved as Chet pulled out.
CHAPTER 10
Sam, Chet, and Charlie followed Emma and Tiff room to room as they pointed out where they had stored the various boxes and bags of food obtained from the distribution center. They ended up back in the living room.
“We have plenty to last us well into spring,” Emma said.
“You guys took advantage of every extra nook and cranny,” Sam said. “Now tell me, what can we do without?”
Everyone turned their head toward Sam.
“What do you mean?” Emma asked.
“I think we have more than we need,” Sam said. “Townsend has less than they need.”
“We just got it and now you want to give it away,” Tiff said. “I don’t get it.”
“This area will soon be inundated with a mass of people from the surrounding cities,” Sam said. “They will hit Townsend first. It makes sense that we take a stand there, with the help of a town militia. It’s to our advantage that we help the townspeople as much as possible. I’m not saying we give up everything, but there’s probably some of this that will go to waste if it’s not used soon.”
“How about another run at the distribution center?” Chet asked.
“That makes more sense,” Tiff said.
“You can bet it won’t be as easy the second time,” Sam said. “The AB will be ready. More people; more guns. Look, I thought we could all just hole up here, make do, and wait for the lights to come back on. But I think I was a little short sighted. We’re going to need help to repel invaders. We’re going to need help from the town. We have extra. We should help the town so they can help us.”
Charlie nodded. “I agree with that. We’ll need help. And also, could we really sit here in relative comfort while people just down the road are starving?”
Chet, almost imperceptibly, nodded his head up and down.
“Seriously, could we sit by and do nothing?” Sam asked.
Chet, again almost imperceptibly, shook his head side to side.
Tiff exhaled deeply and then looked around at the boxes stuffed in the corners of the living room.
Emma looked around. “Well, we probably have a bunch of rice we won’t be able to use. Without being frozen and properly sealed, a lot will be lost to the weevils.”
“Same with some oatmeal and cereal.” Tiff said.
Charlie stepped forward and grabbed a case of canned goods. “Let’s divide this stuff in three piles: what we absolutely will need, what will be nice to have, and what we can do without.”
Sam nodded and went to work.
Everyone pitched in.
Several hours later everything was divided into the three categories spread throughout the cabin.
Sam picked through the nice-to-have group in the living room and shifted a couple of items to the do-without group. He glanced around and saw everyone watching him. He stood up. “I never cared for Brussels sprouts, canned or fresh.”
“I believe all the do-without stuff will fit in the Hummer,” Chet said.
“Yeah, we’ll deliver that tomorrow and keep the nice-to-have stuff for now,” Sam said. “We’ll see how it goes.”
***
Chet backed the Hummer to the front doors of the Townsend police department building, switched off the engine, and hopped out. Sam and Tiff both slid out of the passenger seat and then opened the rear doors and the hatch. Every inch of the area behind the front seats was crammed with boxes and bags of food, explaining why Sam and Tiff occupied the same seat. They each grabbed an armful and headed for the front doors.
Hank and Bill pushed the doors open and held them as the caravan entered.
“What’s this?” Hank asked.
“We ended up with more than we can use,” Sam said, as he sat two cases of canned goods on a desk just inside the door.
Jimmy, Lance, Wanda, and about ten other men and women got up from their various seats and gathered around Sam.
Sam lifted his chin toward the extra people in the room. “Is this the militia?”
“So far, it is,” Bill said. “Thank you for the extra food.”
Hank waved for everyone to follow him as he stepped to the Hummer and started shuttling the contents into the building. “Seriously, thanks for this,” Hank said to Sam as Sam loaded his arms with boxes.
Tiff paused with an arm load. “Where do you want this stuff?”
“We’ve put the other stuff in the jail cell in back,” Hank said.
“I know where that is,” Tiff said, as she stepped through the open doors.
Twenty minutes later everyone crowded around the two jail cells and admired the provisions that nearly filled one of the cells.
“We decided to take your advice,” Hank said, as he led Sam, Chet, and Tiff to the chief’s office.
“What’s that?” Sam asked.
“We’re turning part of the school across the street into a soup kitchen,” Hank said. “It has the space, a large kitchen, plenty of seating in the lunch room, and it’s close by so we can ferry food from here as needed.”
Hank slid into the chair behind the desk and motioned for Sam, Chet, and Tiff to take a seat. “Our militia is taking shape,” Hank said. “All but three have some military experience.”
“What about centralizing food from people’s homes?” Chet asked.
“Working on it,” Hank said. “Most people see what we’re trying to do and have gotten on board.”
“Everybody with a gun should probably be part of the militia,” Tiff said.
“Working on that, too,” Hank said. “The people here today will form the core.” Hank stood up and looked out a window. “How much time do you think we have?”
“I’m surprised people aren’t showing up already,” Sam said. “You should probably start barricading Route 321. I’d recommend you set up where the road narrows, just past Tuckaleechee road and the lodge. It will need to be well-manned.”
Hank nodded his head and looked toward the door as Bill walked in. “Sam recommends a barricade just past the lodge.”
“Where the road narrows,” Bill said. “That’s where I’d put it. In fact, might as well get busy now. I’ll take some guys and start moving vehicles into position.”
“We should start manning it tonight,” Hank said.
“You’ll need some rules of engagement,” Tiff said. “What to do when whatever happens.”
Sam stood up. “We can help with the barricade.”
“Okay,” Hank said. “I’ll get Lance and Wanda started on some rules. I’m going to take Jimmy and go door to door with one of the trucks to get more people on board with the militia and the soup kitchen. By the way, Sam, your people are welcome to join us here in town.”
“Appreciate that,” Sam said. “For now,” he glanced at Chet and Tiff, “we’ll be at my cabin. But we plan to help the town with security as much as possible.”
“You’re not alone,” Hank said. “Several people in the outlying cabins plan to go it alone for now. I understand. They’re worried about their property and they don’t have the means to get to and from town.”
Sam nodded.
***
Chet brought the Hummer to a stop next to several cars already pushed end-to-end across the two-lane stretch of road. The chain pulling a red Toyota sedan slacked; Tiff, behind the wheel, brought the car to a stop. Chet jumped out of the Hummer, unhooked the chain, and then helped four other men push the car into its final position.
From the middle of the road, on the Townsend side of the barricade, Sam watched the work and admired the design as it came to a finish. It was his idea to arrange two parallel lines of end-to-end cars, with a space between the two lines. This would allow for two cars parked between the two lines to be pushed back and forth to open and close the slot in the middle of the lines. The cars would keep the slot closed, unless there came a reason to open the slot. The two parallel lines would also provide cover, from the front and rear, for militia members who would stand between the two lines of cars. Sam also suggested a large panel truck be placed at one end of the parallel line of cars. This would provide a place for the militia to get out of the sun, rain, wind, and cold.
Tiff walked up to Sam. “I like it.”
Sam nodded. “It won’t stop a major force, but at least it’s something.”
“Better than nothing,” Chet said, as he walked up.
“What about the other end of town?” Tiff asked.
“The only thing behind the town is a few cabins, including mine, and mountains,” Sam said. “I don’t think we need to worry so much about people coming from that direction. Most of the area surrounding the town is mountainous desolation. We only have this one road to worry about.”
“Looks like we have our first customers,” Chet said, as he pointed down the road toward Marysville.
Sam and Tiff jerked their heads in that direction.
Sam heard the sound of an engine and then saw an old pickup come over the rise in the far distance. “Appears to be one vehicle.” Sam squinted his eyes as the truck got closer. “Is that Juan behind the wheel?”
Tiff took a step forward. “Yeah, Juan and two others.”
Juan drove the truck right up to the barrica
de, stopped, and switched off the engine. He jumped out, followed by an older man and a teenage boy, around thirteen or so, younger than Juan.
Sam, Chet, and Tiff walked between the barricade cars and met Juan.
Juan shook hands with everyone. “This is my Uncle Pete and my cousin, Diego,” Juan said.
Everyone shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
“Sorry about your Dad,” Tiff said. “Didn’t know him long, but he seemed like a good guy.”
“My brother will be missed,” Pete said.
Everyone went quiet, almost to the point of awkwardness.
Juan finally broke the silence. “Nice job on the barricade,” he said, as he looked around at the string of cars.
“Just finished,” Sam said. “Don’t even have it manned, yet.”
“What’s happening in Marysville?” Chet asked.
“Chaos,” Pete said.
“Marauders took all the food we brought back from the distribution center,” Juan said.
“Almost all,” Pete said. “We were able to salvage a few things.” He jammed his thumb toward the truck.
Juan looked at the ground and shuffled his feet.
“What can we do for you?” Sam asked.
Juan locked eyes with Sam. “We were hoping the three of us could join you guys here.”
Sam looked at Chet, Tiff, and then back to Juan. “Well, I’m not in charge of the town, but we can certainly find out. Do you have any other family?”
“This is it,” Juan said. “My mom is dead, and Aunt Matilda died years ago.”
“We brought the food we scavenged, and the food from our two houses,” Pete said. “We are armed, and we brought all the equipment we thought we might need. We just need a place to stay.”
“Marysville too dangerous?” Tiff asked.
Pete nodded. “My brother was just barely holding it together. When he was murdered—“ Pete let his words trail off as he stared at the ground.
“Total chaos,” Juan said. “When the food runs out completely, they’ll start heading out.”