The Long Roll Home

by Anderson, Diana E.

  Laughing, Andy answered, “Please tell me Bigfoot doesn’t live around here!”

  “Nah, I was just yanking your chain. There are other big animals around here like deer, elk, moose, bears, and even sometimes bison. Not to mention smaller animals like wolves and mountain lions.”

  “Hmmm, somehow, Bigfoot all of a sudden doesn’t sound too bad.” He laughed as Cassie climbed onto the cart and they began moving again. Andy was silent for a few minutes, deep in thought. Finally, he looked at Cassie and asked, “Who do you think did this, I mean, set off the EMP?”

  Cassie looked thoughtful for a minute. “It’s hard to say. Iran and North Korea are the primary suspects, but somehow, I can’t see either one being able to pull it off, even with all the new technology they have. My first thought was China. They have the means, the opportunity, and plenty of reasons to want to disable this country. Remember, in the past, the EMP has been projected to kill off at least seventy-five percent of the US population in the first year or two. So, if the Chinese did this, all they need to do is wait a year or so, and most of the country will be free for the taking.”

  “That is downright scary. But surely survivors will be able to fight them off, don’t you think?”

  “I think we can make it really hard for them, but there may not be enough of us to do any good.” Cassie hesitated a minute. “Of course, there is another government who might have caused the EMP,” she said slowly.

  “Who? Russia?”

  “No, I don’t think Russia has the resources.”

  “Well, then, who do you think could have done it?”

  “I don’t want you to think I am one of those conspiracy theory nuts, or anything. I’m just making an observation based on a lot of the things I’ve read over the last few months.”

  Cassie continued to hesitate until Andy finally exclaimed, “Okay, I won’t think you are a nut. What government other than China do you think could have done this?”

  “I think there is a fair chance our own government could have set off the EMP.” Seeing the surprise on Andy’s face, Cassie hurriedly said, “Think about it. All the things that have been going on politically in this country. Both parties have gotten people so riled up about so many things. We are so incredibly divided on issues like race and religion. There have been so many distractions to our national agenda. Instead of focusing on things that most of us think are important like the economy, national security, health care, and getting out of other people’s wars, we are spending time and energy debating proper pronouns to use to define people who are not even sure of what bathroom to use. We have an impeachment that was planned even before the president took office. Every time it seems like we are making progress as a nation, something else happens. I would not put it past elements of our government to set the EMP off to try to reset the country. Of course, I’m not sure which faction would have done it. The right might have done it to try to get rid of all of the people who think the government should provide everything for everyone, but the left might have also done it in the hopes that they could get a new start following socialist principles instead of democratic ones. Then again, the middle-of-the-roaders could have done it because they were sick of the extremes on both the right and left. I have to tell you after listening to all of the garbage being spewed, especially that impeachment farce, I might have been ready to set it off myself!”

  Andy nodded. “I don’t think you are far off the mark at all. I would rather believe a foreign country did this to us because to think our own government would do this to its people is absolutely horrible. You make a very rational argument, though, why it could have been our own leaders who did this. I guess at the moment it doesn’t really matter, as we are not likely to know for a long time – if ever – who did it. I guess we will just have to be prepared to defend ourselves when someone steps forward and tries to change the way we live. I’ve never been really political, and I haven’t followed world events nearly as much as I followed things like sports and movies. I think I have some learning to do to try to understand all of this.”

  Cassie smiled. “I was lucky because my father really loved history, and he would read to us, mostly about American history, but world history, too. His favorite era to study was the Civil War, and that became my favorite, too.”

  “What was so special about the Civil War?” Andy asked. “The north and south fought over slavery, and the north won, right?”

  “Oh, City Boy, I’m glad my father isn’t around to hear you say that. He’d knock you upside the head, and then give you a lecture on what the Civil War was really fought about.”

  “So it wasn’t about slavery?”

  “Slavery was a part of it, but the main reason for the war was over states’ rights, economics, and politics. The states wanted to be able to make their own decisions about things like slavery, and they felt the federal government was usurping their rights to do that. The north had become really industrialized and didn’t need slaves, but the south was heavily into agriculture and needed

  slaves to keep the big plantations productive. When the federal government tried to enact laws eliminating slavery, not only did the south see that as infringing on their ability to make decisions for themselves, they saw it as a gut punch to their economy. The south also wanted to expand into western territory and bring slaves with them, but the federal government didn’t want to allow that. When Lincoln was elected, the South felt like they didn’t want to be a part of a country that didn’t respect their rights, and so they seceded. That led to war, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “You make it sound so interesting, at least a lot more than my ninth-grade history teacher.”

  Cassie laughed. “Well, that’s because it is interesting. I see a lot of parallels from the Civil War to our current situation. On one side, we have the extreme left who want the federal government to manage every aspect of peoples’ lives, without allowing states, or for that matter, individuals, to make their own decisions. Then, you have the extreme right, who don’t want the federal government involved in anything. Then, you have the rest of us in the middle, paying the bills for both of those groups. I’m really surprised we’ve not had a repeat of the civil war, as divided as the country has been lately. Of course, now it is a moot point, with the EMP and all.”

  Andy nodded thoughtfully. “You know, we would talk in the barracks sometimes about what we would do if there was a civil war. It seemed like a realistic possibility considering the news we would get from back home. I always said I would fight on the side of whoever upheld the constitution.”

  “Same here. We did take an oath to support and defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I guess we’ll eventually find out who the enemy is.”

  They continued on down the trail for several hours, both lost in their own thoughts until Cassie pointed out a small clearing up ahead.

  “There’s the access point to the creek. Let’s stop here for the night. The creek water will be really cold, but hopefully, it is moving enough that it’s not frozen.” Andy pushed the cart off the trail into the clearing and Cassie climbed off. Both could hear the sounds of the creek water bubbling over the rocks.

  “Oh, thank goodness,” Cassie said. “I was afraid as cold as it is getting, the creek would freeze. We need to get busy filtering water first thing, because it is a lot easier and safer to do it while it’s light out. If you bring me all of the empty drink bottles, I’ll start filtering.” She reached into her pack and pulled out her water filter.

  As Andy handed her the drink bottles, he asked, “Why is it safer in the daytime?”

  Cassie grinned and said, “Would you like to be balanced on the slippery edge of a really cold creek at night when you can’t see and could fall in?”

  “Okay, I get it now. I’m going to start gathering wood for a fire while you’re doing that.”

  A few hours later, the camp was set up, all the water bottles were filled with clean drinking water, d
inner was finished, and Andy, Cassie and Petra sat warming themselves in front of the fire. The two metal buckets from peanuts that Andy grabbed from the restaurant came in handy to warm water for bathing, and Andy and Cassie had taken their turns going behind a tarp to bathe and change into clean clothes. The dirty clothes they had been wearing since the airport had been rinsed out in the creek and were now hanging on a paracord line near the fire to dry. After the sun went down, the temperature seemed to drop quite a bit.

  “I’m betting we get snow by tomorrow,” Cassie said. Petra gave a little whine and snuggled even closer to Cassie. Andy pulled the blanket around his shoulders tighter.

  “I hope not. It will make the cart hard to push, even on the road if it snows too much. How can you tell it might snow?”

  “It just feels like snow. I can’t describe it except to say that my joints feel different when it snows.” She looked over at Andy. “You ought to climb into the sleeping bag and get some rest while you can. If it does snow, tomorrow is going to be a very tiring day. I’ll keep watch and wake you in a few hours.”

  Andy nodded. He was a lot more tired than he thought he would be and was grateful Cassie would take the first watch. In spite of his talk about building his endurance running track, he was sore in places he didn’t even know he had. While a sleeping bag on the ground didn’t sound too comfortable, to Andy, it felt like heaven. He was asleep as soon as he finished zipping up the sleeping bag.

  Chapter 11

  Les drove the ATV down the highway, moving slowly so he didn’t cause it to stall out again. He was angry. Not only did his plans to take over the Jessup household fall through, it left him with nothing except an old, eccentric ATV. He was cold, tired, hungry and hung-over as he made his way down the road. He passed a couple of cars, and then realized those cars might have things inside that he could use. The first car he stopped at was a nice SUV. He wondered briefly where the owners were, and then realized he didn’t care. Checking the door, he was surprised to find it was unlocked. A thorough search of the vehicle netted him a pack of tortilla chips, a bottle of sports drink, a pack of gum and a tire iron. Feeling better, he moved on. While there were not a lot of cars on the road, after a few hours, he found enough food and drink to keep going for a day or two. He found a prize in one car – an eight-inch hunting knife. It was not in good condition, but Les figured a knife is a knife and it was better than nothing.

  He wondered where the kid with the rifle went, and tried to keep an eye out for him, but if the truth be told, he was having a great time breaking into cars and taking whatever he wanted. When he found a car that didn’t have anything worth taking, he used rocks and the tire iron to break all the windows and put huge dents in the car’s body. The destruction he was causing made him very happy.

  “I’m just living the dream,” he chuckled. “I take what I want and there are no police or sheriffs to stop me. This is how life should’ve been all along.”

  He decided to stop to eat and take a short nap. He pulled the ATV into the bushes along the side of the road, ate most of the food he found, and settled down to take a nap.

  -

  Benjy looked resolutely at his brother and sister. “You two need to stay here. I’m gonna go see if I can find Mom.”

  Timmy and Lizzie both began arguing back, telling Benjy he couldn’t leave.

  “It’s been over two days and she should have been back by now. I’m worried she might have gotten hurt or lost or something. Or maybe she is bringing back a bunch of groceries to eat and it’s taking her a long time to carry it.”

  Lizzie shook her head. “No. You need to stay here with us. Mommy said not to leave the car, and we should stay here and wait for her. Besides, I don’t want you to go and not come back either,” she said, as she began to cry.

  “Aw, Lizzie, I’ll come back. I’m just gonna walk up the road a ways to see if I see her.”

  “But what if you get lost?” Timmy cried.

  “I won’t get lost. Besides, I’m a Boy Scout, I know how to take care of myself.”

  Lizzie continued to cry. “Then let us come with you and help you. I’m scared if you go.” Of course, that made Benjy feel guilty. The three kids continued to argue loudly. Finally, Benjy yelled, “That’s enough! I am going. I am going to walk up the road a little bit and see if I see anything. If I don’t, I’ll come right back. You two need to stay in the car and be quiet. No arguing, and Lizzie, no trying to follow me. Timmy, while I’m gone, you are in charge.”

  Lizzie and Timmy sniffled a few times, and then agreed with Benjy. Benjy got busy emptying things out of his backpack. He put his Boy Scout knife and canteen into the pack, along with some socks and two granola bars from one of the boxes in the trunk. After pulling on his parka and gloves, he opened the car door and hopped out. Lizzie immediately began to cry again.

  “Lizzie, knock it off. I’ll be back in a few hours. Be quiet and take a nap or something.”

  “But I’m scared. I don’t want you to go.”

  “I’m going. I’m the oldest and so I have to go check on Mom. Now hush and I’ll see you in a while.” Benjy closed the car door and began walking down the road. Behind him, he could hear his sister’s wails. He felt bad leaving her when she was so upset, but he really didn’t have much of a choice. Worry about his mother was overwhelming him, and he knew he had to do something, even if it was against what his mother told him to do. He figured she might be mad at him for a while, but if she hurt herself or something, she would probably be glad to see him.

  -

  Les woke up from his nap and realized he slept far longer than he planned. “Time to go find something to eat,” he thought as he climbed back onto the ATV. He continued down the road, until he was just outside the town of Seagreaves. The town looked deserted, but he could see several columns of smoke coming from the town. The sounds of gunshots and breaking glass in the distance made him decide to not go into town, but rather to pass it as quickly as possible. He accelerated the ATV and hung on for a few minutes until he had passed the town and was back into uninhabited areas again. He even passed the first few cars he saw, not wanting to stay long anywhere near the town. Eventually, though, his hunger overcame his fear, and he began scavenging from cars again. He was driving slowly from one car to the next when suddenly, the ATV sputtered and died. After several minutes of yelling at the ATV, he realized it was out of gas. With no gas can, and no hose to siphon gas, he decided he would have to walk, and maybe find another ATV along the way.

  Walking along the road was not nearly as fast as the ATV, but Les told himself he wasn’t in a hurry to get anywhere. He took his time checking out each car he passed, breaking windows and taking whatever was in the cars that he wanted. One car had a canvas shopping bag, and Les took that to carry the prizes he found. After a mile or two, he decided the tire iron was too heavy, so he buried it in the next windshield he came to. That was a good omen, he thought, because that car had several bottles of water in the trunk along with a box of protein bars. He sat at the side of the road and ate and drank his fill. With his load lightened, he started walking again. Suddenly, he stopped. “That sounded like a kid yelling,” he thought. He picked up his pace and as he came around a curve, he saw a late model SUV sitting off to the side of the road. He could see movement in the car, so he ducked down to watch for a few minutes. As he watched, the car door opened and a young girl got out of the car and headed into the bushes. Les stifled an evil grin, and quickly snuck up on the girl. As she came out of the bushes, he grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth.

  “Don’t yell or scream or I will hurt you.” Lizzie, terrified, was struggling against Les trying to escape. He moved his hand to get a better grip, and she screamed.

  “Timmy, help me, Timmy! Let go of me.” Les pushed the girl down onto the hood of the car and smacked her face.

  “I told you I’d hurt you if you screamed.” At the same time, the car door opened, and Timmy hopped out of the car, balanced on one
leg and holding his crutches.

  “Let go of my sister!” he yelled, moving towards Les.

  Les pulled the hunting knife out of his pocket and held it up to Lizzie’s throat. “Get back in the car, kid, or you’re next.” Timmy stood there with a helpless look on his face, then climbed back into the car. Les turned his attention back to Lizzie. “You’re a cute little thing, aren’t you,” he said with an evil grin. “Let’s get those clothes off of you and see what you really look like.”

  Lizzie, with a look of terror on her face, screamed at Les to get his hands off of her. Les laughed, thoroughly enjoying the child’s terror. He set the knife down on the car out of Lizzie’s reach and in one rapid motion, ripped Lizzie’s polo shirt in two. He then reached down and pulled her jeans down. Lizzie was crying and trying to fight Les, but Les was holding her down against the hood of the car. Timmie was also screaming at Les but was scared that if he got out of the car, Les would use the knife on Lizzie.

  -

  Cassie and Andy finally left the fire road and turned onto the main road. About 20 feet in front of them, they saw a young boy with a backpack. The boy turned and looked at them, and, with a look of fear, began walking faster. Cassie called out, “Hey, kid, wait up, we want to ask you something.”

  The boy looked at the two adults and large dog, squared his shoulders, and said, “I’m sorry, but my mother won’t let us talk to strangers.”

  Cassie grinned, and said, “Your mother should be very proud of you then. Why are you out here by yourself?”

  The boy looked scared. “Mom went to get gas for our car, but she hasn’t come back yet so I was going to look for her. Who are you and why are you riding on that thing?”

  Cassie smiled at the boy. “My name is Cassie and my friend is Andy. I’m riding on this because I can’t walk far and I’m trying to get home. What’s your name?”

  “My name is Benjy, and I’m sorry, but I’m really in a hurry.”