“Lauren, what in the name of God is going on?” John yelled loudly. “Who the fuck is this?”
“His name is Christian,” she responded in a panicked tone. “He’s not the enemy, John, so stop aiming your gun at him.”
“He’s lucky that I didn’t blow his fucking head off,” John shouted in a very serious tone.
“You must be the boyfriend,” Christian said, still writhing in pain but nonetheless, trying to be funny. “Nice to meet you.”
“You shut your mouth,” John instructed. He looked confused and was beyond completely pissed. “Lauren, you better start explaining things to me now,” John said commandingly. “Where have you been? Your mother is losing her mind right now. I came to look for you, spent a cold night in the woods doing that, and the first sign of you I see is you being followed by some guy with a gun. How was I supposed to respond to that?”
“John, I got in over my head,” Lauren said calmly in an attempt to persuade John to relax. She pulled herself up to her feet as John looked down at her ace bandage-wrapped ankle. “This man, the man you just shot—he saved my life yesterday.”
John didn’t know what to say. He knew that there was a story behind what she was saying, but he was too pissed to listen. He looked at his shoulder and noticed it was bleeding pretty badly. Lauren hopped to her backpack and dug around for her first aid kit.
Christian pulled off his IFAK and held it up to her. He then said, “Lauren, use this instead. There should be at least one dressing left inside. I’m not certain though—for some reason, I keep getting shot lately.”
Lauren turned to him and took the IFAK from him. Christian sat up and dropped his backpack, then he pulled off his body armor which was starting to feel a little too confining for him.
“Are you ok?” she asked worriedly as she briefly looked him over.
“Just peachy,” Christian responded sarcastically. “Nothing got through the plate, but damn, this hurts.”
“Take off your shirt, John,” Lauren said as she hopped over to him. John dropped his pack and removed his shirt. It appeared as though he was just now beginning to calm down.
“What happened to your ankle?” John asked her, showing some concern.
“It’s a long story,” she replied.
“We’ve got a long walk home,” he said.
“I’ll tell you everything, babe. I promise you, I will. For now, you are just going to have to trust me. This guy behind me is a good guy.” Her voice changed to a whisper as she looked him in the eyes. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
John closed his eyes for a second. He nodded reluctantly and sighed. “Ok,” he said. “I’m sorry for jumping your shit and I’m very glad that you’re safe. But you have to understand what we’ve been going through. A lot has changed since you’ve been gone. Everyone is worried sick about you.”
Lauren nodded and began to dress John’s wound, which even though it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, was bleeding rather heavily. Once she’d wrapped the dressing tightly, John put his shirt back on. He donned his backpack and slung his shotgun over his other shoulder. He gave Lauren a kiss on her cheek and she smiled oddly at him, turning away to hop back to where her pack was laying.
“Do you need help?” John asked her.
“I’ll manage,” Lauren said confidently.
“Can you walk or do I have to carry you, too?” John asked Christian rather coldly.
“Oh, I can walk just fine,” Christian responded. “Breathing on the other hand, not so much.”
“Well, I’m sorry for shooting you,” John said.
“Now that’s not something you hear every day,” Christian said cynically. “But I do accept your apology. Think of it this way—you’re lucky you got your shot off when you did, otherwise that 5.56 wouldn’t have just grazed your shoulder.”
John nodded. He was a humble person and knew the situation could’ve ended much worse that it had. Lauren bent over to pick up her pack and strapped it on once again, pulling up her trekking poles up to ready herself for the hike home. Christian somehow managed to shove his body armor into his already overstuffed pack and squared away all of his gear and weapons. The three began hiking down Mill Mountain Trail at a meager pace. John led the way with Lauren not too far behind.
Christian brought up the rear but kept his distance, feeling a bit out of place. He couldn’t help but feel attached to Lauren, after their talks and what they had been through. He felt like he knew her as well as anyone could know her in such a short amount of time. They experienced a couple traumatic situations and even though he felt too humble to take credit for it, he had indeed saved her life. He had saved both of their lives. He decided even with this being true, she owed him nothing and he did not want to intrude in any way. If he had any chance of being accepted by her family and eventually by her entire community, he had to handle this with kid gloves, and he wasn’t very good at doing that. He watched as every so often, John would look back to make sure she was close to him. How amazing it must be to know that kind of love in this horrible world, he thought.
Occasionally as they walked, Lauren would look back to Christian and smile. She gave him the thumbs up a few times to reassure him that this situation was all clear. It wouldn’t be long before they would be descending the steep game trail back to her family’s cabin. It would take a lot to explain to everyone why she had been gone for so long. She knew it, but she also knew they would eventually learn to trust Christian as she did. All they needed was to have a little faith.
As they neared the intersection to the game trail that led steeply for two miles down the mountain and into the valley below, John stopped and turned to face Lauren and Christian.
“Let’s break here for a bit, guys,” John said. He looked to Lauren who immediately, and without hesitation, dropped her pack and took a seat on the ground. “Now would be a good time to clue me in on what the hell happened to you,” he said to her.
She sighed. “I hiked up to Big Schloss, just like I always do every day. When I was about to hike back down the mountain, I heard gunfire and explosions in the distance. I couldn’t see anything, so I decided to hike further to get a better look. When I got to White Rock Cliff, that’s when I was able to see the smoke.” She paused.
Christian remained standing with his back turned to John and Lauren, looking down the trail as if to make sure that they weren’t being followed. Lauren continued on with her explanation of what she had discovered and her eventual encounter with Christian. She told John everything she could remember, including the previous day’s escape from the DHS agents and search dogs. When she told him about how she’d sprained her ankle, and the firefight that had followed, John’s facial expression turned morose.
“I’m sorry that I wasn’t with you,” John said. “I probably would have come sooner, but I have had zero sleep lately.”
“It’s not your fault that any of this happened, John,” Lauren assured him.
“I know. But I still feel like an ass,” he said. He then turned his attention to Christian. “So, I take it that your agency is a threat to us now?”
Christian turned around to face John. “First of all, it’s not my agency,” he said firmly, “and yes, they are a threat.”
Noticing the tension and wanting to eliminate any chance of further confrontation between John and Christian, Lauren interjected. “What’s been going on at home since I left?” she asked John, curiously.
John stared at Christian for a few seconds before relenting. “On the day you left, Mrs. Ackermann was shot to death by some bikers,” he said.
“What?” Lauren said in utter disbelief.
“They attacked her and Mr. Ackermann. He ended up killing them both. We heard the shots at the cabin and went to investigate. A couple of guys with some motorcycle club called the Marauders.”
Lauren was shocked and deeply saddened by the news. She had nothing but fond memories of Mrs. Ackermann, and didn’t say
much for a few minutes. John allowed her to mourn and paused a moment before continuing.
“There’s a lot more to it than that—but it goes without saying, we have a new threat in the valley now,” he said. “Dad was supposed to get everyone on the same page yesterday at the church meeting. I’m not sure how all that went, but we can find out after we get back.”
“That’s just crazy,” Lauren said. “How did they get into the valley?”
“We don’t know that either,” John said.
“Unbelievable,” Lauren said as she began to worry. “Christian, do you know anything about a biker gang?”
Christian shook his head. “Unfortunately, I don’t,” he said. “But I can’t imagine the rest of their buddies will take kindly to the news.”
The three contemplated and made small talk for a few minutes, before gathering their gear and starting down the first set of switchbacks on the steep game trail that led down the mountain to the rear of Lauren’s family’s property. John made sure to keep a very slow pace, turning around to make sure that Lauren was able to maintain it while hiking on one foot. On the inside, Lauren was smiling. In spite of the new dangers that affected her, her family, and her community, it felt good to be back in familiar territory. It felt good to be with John again. In a matter of hours, she would finally be home, and that would feel just as good, if not better.
Chapter 15
The Cabin
Trout Run Valley
Hardy County West Virginia
Present day
Michelle had woken to the sound of revving ATV engines coming from outside the cabin. The sound was unfamiliar to her, as it wasn’t something she was used to hearing in the world she and the others now lived in. After getting dressed and gathering herself, she walked outside to the front porch and soon realized that she must’ve slept in a lot later than usual for some reason. Norman and Lee had pulled all three of their Honda Rancher four-wheelers to the driveway in front of the cabin, and were busy strapping gear to them. They had just finished topping off the tanks with the gasoline that Michael had given them. The entire community had been provided with enough fuel to operate their motorized vehicles and ATVs for the foreseeable future.
Today was to be the first day of a new strict security protocol that the entire community had to follow. The emergency meeting at Fred Mason’s house the previous evening had been brief, but accomplished what it needed to. The barricade was now as secure as they could make it, after parking Michael’s largest bulldozer there, using its enormous blade and sheer size to block the road. Fred’s sons, Chad and Mark had driven one of their father’s Humvees there not long after, and worked hard to dig a large foxhole in the embankment just above the barricade, which would be used to guard the barricade both day and night. The two of them worked the first overnight shift at the barricade and it had been a quiet one.
In order to keep the community as safe as humanly possible and maintain some semblance of normalcy in spite of the new threat, it was decided that there would be armed roving patrols along Trout Run Road. Every family who had an operating vehicle would need to participate at some point. The patrols would travel the road from the north end to the barricade roughly every hour at random intervals, so that their movements would not become predictable to anyone paying attention. The patrols would either be one or two-man, depending on availability of manpower, which was at a premium. Regardless of who was on duty, every able inhabitant of the valley was now, in one way or another, going to have to be an active part of community security. And that meant, that any borderline conscientious objectors would need to change their way of thinking.
With the help of the Baofeng radios that Fred had provided, the members of the community were now able to maintain contact with each other at all times, which was a true blessing. If anyone saw anything suspicious or threatening, they would be able to radio it in immediately, notifying everyone else who listened. Depending on the threat, a reaction force would be assembled to respond wherever they were needed. Since the meeting had been at the Mason house, Fred had been able to provide firearms and ammunition from the inventory in his shop to the members of the community that needed them. Every adult, both young and old, now had a semi-automatic, high-capacity rifle of some flavor and a reliable sidearm with ample ammunition. The teenagers in the community would be allowed to carry weapons on a case-by-case basis as decided by their parents, even though Fred insisted that in the case of community-wide defense, age was irrelevant. To his surprise, the Schmidts had been very interested in getting firearms for their children. Their daughter, Brooke was sixteen and had some experience with guns while their son, Brandon, who was fifteen, had no experience with firearms whatsoever. Scott and Whitney both wanted to have them involved in community security, in spite of their lack of experience. Fred Mason’s daughter, Megan, whom he was extremely protective of and rarely allowed to leave their property, had been sent next door to the Schmidt home to teach them basic gun safety, as well as how to operate and shoot the weapons they’d been provided. She, just like her brothers, had been taught how to shoot from a very young age by their father, whose entire life was encapsulated with all things ‘gun’.
Michelle walked around to the back of the cabin and took a long look around the foothills of North Mountain. She looked as far as she could up the steep game trail that Lauren used every morning on her hikes and didn’t see anything. All she truly wanted to see was her daughter’s smiling face as she traipsed down the hill and back home to her. Her mind was going crazy with not knowing where Lauren was. John had gone to look for her and hadn’t returned last night, and that made her worry even more. It bothered her that Norman didn’t seem worried in the least. Maybe he was—but he sure didn’t show it. Grace walked outside and around the corner of the house. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail today, and she was holding her rifle in both hands. She hardly went anywhere without it now. Today, she had a fierce look on her face.
“Are they back yet?” she asked with a tired voice and a yawn.
“No,” Michelle said grimly.
“This shit is getting ridiculous, Michelle,” Grace said.
Michelle nodded. “You don’t have to tell me,” she said. “I already know.”
As Grace walked back inside, she slammed the door behind her. Michelle approached Norman, who looked at her curiously. He was getting ready to say something to her, when she reached outward to him with an open hand.
“Give me your rifle,” Michelle demanded.
“What’s that?” Norman asked.
“Give me your damn rifle,” Michelle repeated. “I’m going to go find them. I’ve had enough of this shit.”
Norman saw the look in her eye and knew she meant business. He slid the AK-47 off of his shoulder, checked the safety and handed it to Michelle.
“You want me to tag along?” he asked.
“Do what you want. I want my daughter back home right now,” Michelle asserted.
“Ok,” Norman said. “Let’s go then.” He turned to Lee. “Get this gear squared away and then get with Grace and see if she needs anything. You two watch the house.”
“Ok, Dad,” Lee said without protest.
Norman quickly closed the distance to Michelle as she literally bolted over the bridge and to the back of the property. He had never seen her move this quickly before and was nowhere near prepared. As she started marching up the first switchback of the game trail, Norman reached forward, grabbing her shoulder. She looked back at him quickly, just as he pointed his finger up the hill. She looked in the direction he pointed, and saw three figures moving slowly down the trail a few hundred yards away.
“There they are,” he said confidently with somewhat of a grin, as if he’d known all along that they would be there.
“Dammit, it better be them,” Michelle hissed as she squinted her eyes to get a better picture.
She pulled the AK-47 to her shoulder to take a look through the magnified optic. Norman quickly pushe
d the muzzle of the weapon down to the ground. Michelle turned to him with a stunned look.
“Girl, there’s a round in the chamber,” Norman said matter-of-factly, sounding somewhat bothered. “You want to accidentally shoot them?”
Michelle quickly realized her error and shook her head shamefully. As she pulled the magazine out, she slapped the safety off and pulled back on the bolt, ejecting the live round into the air. To her surprise, Norman caught it as it soared just over his head. Michelle’s eyebrows raised.
“I’m sorry,” she said sincerely as she began to look through the rifle’s scope again.
“It’s ok,” Norman assured. “I know you’re a little off-kilter. Just be careful—my son is up there too, along with your daughter.”
Michelle brought the three figures into view through the scope. She immediately saw John, who was in front. Lauren followed just behind him. Michelle’s heart skipped a beat and she could begin to feel a sense of relief sweep over her. She noticed that Lauren was limping and using her trekking poles as if they were crutches. Then, she noticed a person she didn’t recognize in a black uniform who was bringing up the rear.
“Who the fuck is that?” Michelle queried.
“Huh?” Norman asked.
“There’s a man in a black uniform following them,” Michelle said with a slight hint of suspicion in her voice. “Who in the fuck is that?”
Norman reached for the rifle and pulled the scope to his eye to see what Michelle had seen. As he did so, Michelle pulled her Glock from its holster and press checked it, verifying that it was loaded. Norman saw John and noticed his shoulder had a wound dressing on it that looked nearly blood-soaked. He then brought Lauren into view and saw her struggling to move down the hill with one foot held off of the ground. Finally, he moved the scope to see the man that was bringing up the rear. The man was wearing body armor and a black uniform. His backpack was overflowing with gear and he was carrying a rifle with a suppressor mounted to the barrel. He had two other rifles slung over his back, including one that looked like Lauren’s AR. Norman also noticed that he was limping as well. John was carrying his shotgun and had a slight grin on his face. Neither he nor Lauren looked frightened in any way. There were no signs that the man with them was a threat.
What's Left of My World: A Story of a Family's Survival Page 26