Storm Front

by Thomas A. Watson

  “To be honest Nelson, I can’t tell right off. I would have to sit down and write down the names,” Bernard said. “Let me rephrase, I would have to sit down with Nellie and write down names.”

  “No, how big, as in stature?” Nelson said as several people noticed them and started walking toward them.

  Letting out a laugh, “Oh, they are all big. Dallas and Kathleen’s parents are from Norway, I think,” Bernard said.

  Seeing the group approaching, Nelson gawked in wonder as the figures continued to grow in his vision. As the groups met, Bernard moved to an elderly man wearing overalls with shoulder-length white hair. “Glad to see you’re doing good, Dallas,” Bernard said.

  Shaking Bernard’s hand, they could tell Dallas was six inches taller than Bernard, and Bernard was the tallest and biggest person at their farm easy. Matt was musclebound, but Bernard was six inches taller and had a good fifty pounds. Slowly, Nelson glanced at the others still coming and it seemed that Dallas was on the shorter end of the gene pool he’d spawned. Shifting his gaze, Nelson saw the ages ran a gambit from young kids, tweens, teens, and young adults, all the way up to Dallas. Most had blond hair with a few redheads.

  Looking around at the group, the first thing that came to Nelson’s mind was Vikings. Really big Vikings.

  “Glad to meet you, Nelson,” Dallas said, grabbing his hand. Numbly, Nelson nodded while turning to Dallas.

  “You have a big family,” Nelson said in shock, tilting his head back to look up at Dallas’s face.

  “Yep,” Dallas said, letting his hand go and shaking Michelle’s hand. “Kathleen and I wanted ten, but stopped at seven,” he cackled.

  “Oh, hush,” a woman said, moving in front of Nelson. “I’m Kathleen,” she said, shaking Nelson’s hand. She had long grayish hair with blonde highlights, but Nelson still tilted his head back to look at her face because she was taller than her husband by a few inches.

  “Pleased to meet you, ma'am,” Nelson said.

  Patting his cheek, “Thank you, dear,” Kathleen said and then turned to Michelle.

  Turning, Nelson saw a numb expression on Michelle’s face as she took Kathleen’s hand. “Glad it’s not only me,” Nelson mumbled.

  Feeling a punch on his shoulder, Nelson turned and found it was Bernard. “Are you going to talk or you want me?” Bernard asked.

  “Um, yeah,” Nelson said and Bernard just looked at him. “Um,” Nelson said, turning to Dallas. “We are making contact with others around Bernard’s farm and setting up like an alliance, in case of an attack.”

  The joy left Dallas’s face as he nodded. “Yeah, we been seein’ that around here. Lucky those Army guys in Van Buren were taken out because they coulda been a heap of trouble,” Dallas said.

  “Yeah, that’s why we hit them,” Nelson said numbly and the crowd became silent.

  “Nelson,” Bernard snapped, slapping Nelson in the chest. “You and Gerald said, don’t say nothin’ about that until the group joins.”

  “Shit, if they can make them talk,” Gerald said in amazement, gesturing his arm out at Dallas and his family. “Then we are so screwed, it’s not even funny.”

  Dallas turned to Bernard, “That was you?” he asked in a low voice.

  Nodding, “Yeah, but please don’t say anything because if the feds find out, they will kill you just because you didn’t turn us in,” Bernard said solemnly.

  Jerking back from Bernard, “Like we would talk to feds,” Dallas snapped. “Scott slipped up to Ellington a few weeks ago, and they were shoving people in train cars and shootin’ any that fought back.”

  “Dallas, that’s why we don’t tell people, because we don’t want them getting hurt because they know,” Bernard said.

  Patting Bernard’s shoulder, “That’s nice, but you don’t be worryin’ about us here. We can take care of ourselves,” Dallas said. “So, how can we be of help?”

  “You need anything?” Bernard said.

  A look that didn’t fit Dallas filled his eyes; shame. “I hate askin’, but you have any salt? We only have a few pounds left and less than that in flour.”

  “Sure,” Bernard said nodding.

  “I can get you some money,” Dallas said moving to turn, and Nelson shook off his shock.

  Jumping over to Dallas, Nelson grabbed his arm. “Sir,” Nelson said, letting Dallas’s arm go, just in case Dallas took offense to that. “No money. If you’re with us, then you’re with us like family, no money. We help each other with no free rides for anyone. If you need something and we have plenty of it to spare, then you can have it. But we expect the same.”

  Dallas studied Nelson for a few minutes and then grinned. “You know, Bernard talked about those of you that come out to his farm, sayin’ you were great people. I had my doubts, you comin’ from a big city but I have to say, I was wrong and he was right,” Dallas said.

  “So, you don’t mind coming to aid in an attack?” Gerald asked, moving up beside Nelson.

  “Son,” Dallas chuckled. “We been lookin’ for some to go after. That group in Van Buren was a might too big for us to go after. Now there’s a group riding around on motorbikes we been after, but they don’t stay in place for very long.”

  “Yeah, it’s one of four gangs around here. Yesterday, they were in Eminence,” Gerald said.

  Dallas looked at him in shock, then to Bernard. “Yeah, we’ve been tracking them. We are fighting back. So, I want you to think about this before you agree to join this coalition we’re putting together, because we are going to be attacked just because we fight back,” Bernard said.

  “So, you wantin’ help attackin’ these swine?” Dallas asked as his face broke into a grin.

  “No, we’ll attack. We don’t want to risk others, but sooner or later they will come around looking for us,” Bernard said.

  “Then the answer’s no!” Dallas snapped. “We either be helpin’ with the fight or not. We don’t have anyone fightin’ for us!”

  Looking around, Michelle said. “Mr. Dallas, you have a large family. Are you sure about that? Some could get hurt, or worse.”

  “Little lady,” Dallas said, poking his chest out. “Mine and Kathleen’s families came here running from the Nazis and I was always ashamed of that. You don’t run from bullies, you fight them. You may be alone and get kilt, but at least you fought. My kids and grandkids think the same because that’s what we always taught them. Why? Because it’s right.”

  Gerald glanced at Nelson and Nelson shook his head. “Dude, I’m not telling them they can’t fight with us. Shit, I haven’t seen one yet, besides the toddlers on the porch, that couldn’t pick me up and treat me like a teddy bear,” Nelson huffed and everyone busted out laughing. “What? I’m serious!” Nelson said, making everyone laugh harder.

  Holding out his hand and still laughing, “Then, Dallas, I want to say, welcome to the war,” Gerald said. “What else do you need beside salt and flour?”

  As Dallas turned to ask his wife, Nelson cleared his throat. “Can I ask? Do any of you have weapons other than hunting rifles? They are great weapons, but don’t hold many shots,” Nelson asked.

  “Sure. Scott, Cara, Sean, and Grant served in the Army, and they all have them fancy guns like you do,” Dallas said.

  “So, if you get more ARs and M4s, they can teach others?” Nelson asked.

  “Why would they have to teach us?” Dallas asked and Nelson wondered how to answer, and not offend the giant Viking clan.

  “Dallas,” Kathleen huffed, then turned to Nelson. “Nelson, we know how to shoot the guns the kids have. We shoot a lot and they taught most everyone, ‘cept the little ones,” Kathleen said, pointing at a boy that didn’t reach her chest. He reached Nelson’s chin and he was wondering if the kid was a big toddler. “We don’t start letting the young’uns play with those guns till they are twelve because they cost so much.”

  “Um, how old is that one?” Nelson asked, pointing at the boy beside her.

  “Jerry is eleven.
He has his own shotguns and hunting rifle, but those guns like you’re holding are very expensive,” Kathleen said and everyone in the group nodded.

  Nelson spun around, looking at his group. “Shut up, I have this,” he snapped and spun back around to look at Dallas. “Dallas, if I give your family ten ARs and five M14s like Bernard’s, will you gather your family so I can take a picture?”

  Just blinking his eyes for several minutes, Dallas finally gave up. “Why you want a picture? We don’t live that far from Bernard,” he said.

  “When this is over, nobody will ever believe me when I tell them I met a family of giant Vikings,” Nelson said with wide eyes, and the group busted out laughing again. “What? You have a great family and look like Vikings. That’s the coolest shit ever!” Nelson shouted over the laughter, making them laugh even harder.

  Michelle grabbed him and turned him to her. She was chuckling with the others as she grabbed his chin. “You can be so weird sometimes,” she said, then kissed him.

  “Come on,” Nelson said, waving his hand at the family. “You don’t think they are awesome?”

  “Yes, because they have what we wanted,” Michelle chuckled. “A big family.”

  “A big family of giants!” Nelson cried out.

  When the family stopped laughing, Dallas wiped his eyes. “Oh, Nelson, I like ya,” Dallas chuckled. “You don’t need to be giving us guns to take a picture.”

  “Well, you’ll need the guns to help fight,” Nelson said. “But I still want a picture,” he mumbled.

  “It’s a deal, but one condition,” Dallas said. “You have to make a copy for us. We ain’t never had a full family picture.”

  Nelson turned to leave and Michelle grabbed him. “Where are you going?”

  “Duh, to get the guns and my damn camera,” Nelson snapped.

  “Let’s see what else they need,” Michelle said as Gerald moved close to Nelson.

  “I want a copy of that picture,” Gerald said in a low voice.

  “Kathleen, what else do you need?” Michelle said, shaking her head. As Kathleen told her, Michelle pulled out a pad to make a list.

  “Dallas, why aren’t you using your tractor to work your garden?” Bernard asked, looking at the tall plants in neat rows.

  “Ain’t got much diesel and need the tractor to haul hay out to the cows,” Dallas said. “I’m going to be pressed cuttin’ and baling hay in a few weeks.”

  “You good on ammo?” Gerald asked.

  “Oh yeah, we have a few hundred bullets,” Dallas said.

  Shaking his head, “Dallas, that isn’t much in a war,” Gerald said.

  “You only need one bullet for each bad guy,” Dallas said. “Any of my family can hit a coke can at three hundred yards. Only one or two of the little ones will need more than one shot.”

  As his jaw fell open, Gerald just stared at Dallas. “Dallas, there are more than a few hundred bad guys,” Michelle said, chuckling as she continued on the list.

  “Oh, didn’t think about that,” Dallas said nodding. “Well, a few hundred rounds more should do it, and a few hundred for the guns Nelson is bringing us. We have 30-30, .308, and 7mm. We are using the .22s to hunt with.”

  “Well, I’ll bring fifty thousand rounds for the ARs. Since the M14s use 7.62, or .308, I’ll bring eight thousand rounds. The 30-30 and 7mm, I think I can get you a few thousand rounds of each. What about pistols?” Nelson asked and the family just gawked at him.

  “Son, there can’t be that many of them,” Dallas said. “We saw the new states were fightin’ them hard.”

  “No, sir. Trust me, there’s more than you know. The Free States formed an alliance called the New Republic. Now, what kind of pistols?” Nelson asked.

  “Um, we only have one. A .22 we use when we go trapping,” Dallas said.

  “Your kids that were in the Army, if I bring over some pistols, can they show everyone how to shoot them?” Nelson asked and Dallas just nodded.

  Turning to Bernard, “We need to bring the trucks. We can’t haul all this on the ATVs,” Nelson said in an excited voice.

  “Yeah,” Bernard said smiling. “I’ll hook up that five-hundred-gallon fuel trailer and haul it over.”

  “Bernard -,” Dallas started and Bernard held up his hand, stopping Dallas as he continued with Nelson.

  “They have horses, so we need to bring over some feed,” Bernard said.

  “What kind of horses?!” Nelson shouted and Bernard just chuckled. “Don’t laugh. What kind of horses, Clydesdales?”

  Ignoring Nelson as he spun around looking for the horses, Bernard looked at Michelle and Gerald. “I’m worried about getting hit on the way, if someone sees the trucks loaded with supplies,” Bernard said.

  “What if they figure where the supplies were delivered?” Michelle asked.

  Jerking his thumb at Dallas as he looked around for the giant horses, “They can handle anything close,” Nelson said.

  “Now hold on,” Dallas said. “You ain’t takin’ risk for us. You let us do it or at least help. We have trucks and enough gas to get to Bernard’s.”

  “Dallas,” Nelson huffed. “You have to get your family ready for a picture.”

  “We can help,” Dallas snapped.

  “Fine,” Nelson said, throwing his hands up. “Let four of your boys come to Bernard’s and help us load up the stuff and they can help protect it coming back.”

  “No,” Bernard said. “They will drive three trucks over, so you need six. They can follow us, so the guards don’t freak out.”

  “Hey, I’m coming back to take a picture with or without you,” Nelson snapped at Bernard.

  “I’ll come back with you, Nelson,” Gerald said nodding.

  “Nelson, we have to bring my truck to bring over the feed and the trailer,” Bernard said.

  “Okay, get your people ready,” Nelson said and took off running down the road.

  “You could wait for me,” Michelle said, taking off after him.

  “Then come on! I have to make sure the camera is charged!” Nelson shouted.

  Bernard turned to Dallas, chuckling, “Have your boys meet up with us at the turnoff, we’ll be waiting there for them,” Bernard said and Dallas nodded.

  When Bernard and Gerald jogged off, Nelson and Michelle were already out of sight. “Kathleen, tell everyone to get cleaned up,” Dallas said. “That boy really wants a family picture of us.”

  Chapter 2

  Sitting in the living room the next morning, waiting on Michelle, Nelson looked at the 8x10 picture of Dallas’s entire family and shook his head. “I swear if they had swords, I would’ve taken off running. I don’t care that I had a gun,” he chuckled, then moved over and hung the picture on the wall.

  Gavin stumbled in yawning. “Hey, buddy,” Nelson said, walking into the kitchen.

  “Are the giants coming over today?” Gavin asked, already dressed to workout.

  “No, but I will have to take a picture over this week. I guess you want to go?” Nelson said, fixing a cup of coffee.

  “You bet,” Gavin said.

  Hearing Devin cry, Nelson chuckled. “Soccer ball head is awake.”

  “Nelson, quit calling him that!” Michelle shouted down the hall.

  Seeing Gavin laughing, “You get a job yet?” Nelson asked him. “You’re nine now and should have a job.”

  “Dad,” Gavin groaned. “I just turned nine last week.”

  “See, you’re being a slacker,” Nelson chuckled as a knock sounded on the door. Before he could say anything, Bernard stepped in.

  “Morning,” Bernard said and passed them by going down the hall. He came back, carrying Olivia’s sleeping form cradled in his arms. “Nellie said I needed to start getting her before y’all left for the gym in the mornings.”

  “You know she can walk, Bernard. You just have to wake her up,” Nelson said, grinning as Bernard headed for the door.

  “My boots weigh more than she does,” Bernard chuckled, opening the do
or. As he opened the door, the twins, Adam and Alex, walked in.

  “Hey, Gavin,” they said, walking over groggily.

  “Guys, you know you can workout later in the day,” Nelson said, looking at the boys as they sat down with Gavin on the couch.

  “Too much to do, Dad,” Gavin said, stretching out with a groan.

  The front door opened and Gerald walked in. “What the hell is taking you so long?” Gerald asked, closing the door.

  “Waiting on Michelle,” Nelson said as Gerald walked past him and down the hall.

  “You guys need to move your ass,” he said, walking into Devin’s room. “I got him, Michelle,” Gerald said as the front door opened and Nancy peeked her head in at the boys.

  “Are you guys coming or what?” she asked and the boys jumped up, grabbing their rifles and took off out the door.

  “I can’t believe they are prolonging your time for bubble wars,” Gerald said, walking past while carrying Devin, who let out a squeal and clapped his hands. “You have to wait till after workouts and they make you wait before they even go workout. We need to spank them,” Gerald said, walking out the door and closing it as Devin let out more squeals.

  Michelle came in, putting her hair up in a ponytail. She looked around. “Where’s Gavin?”

  “He took off with Nancy, and Bernard came over to take Olivia,” Nelson said, looking at the door and feeling left out. “These people need to start having their own kids.”

  “Well, stud, for us to have one, I’m going to have to lay off the workouts because I’ve already stopped my cycles,” Michelle said, grabbing her rifle. “Not to say I’m complaining, I kind of like going three months between cycles.”

  “We could practice,” Nelson said slyly. “So, when you slow your workouts down, we won’t have to wait long for you to get pregnant.”

  Michelle just looked at him. “Babe, you have attacked me every night,” she said.

  “Yeah, but this is morning,” Nelson pointed out. “Need to make sure we can cover the spectrum of time. You never know, the gravitational pull may be stronger during the day.”

  She walked over and kissed his cheek. “Think with this head, babe,” she said, patting his forehead.