by Bobby Akart
With the heat beginning to warm his feet, and the morning sun revealing a smattering of snowflakes falling from the sky, Ryan took off for the barn and his morning meeting with his guys.
It was understood by the regulars who lived on the property that everyday was a work day, to an extent. To be sure, if somebody got hurt, or had a matter to attend to off-property, they could certainly take the time they needed. However, they were expected back as soon as possible because they all shared a common mindset. You just never know when a catastrophe might strike.
Ryan drove along the gravel road that led away from the main house toward the always-locked front gate. On the few occasions when guests arrived, they had access to a telephone that rang in the main house first and then in his destination, the large barn that had been erected in the center of the property, designated HB-1.
When he arrived at the barn that contained a large foreman’s office, his two main guys, his right arm and left arm, stood outside with mugs of hot coffee in their hands, allowing the steam to float into the air as they spoke.
Ryan’s number one who’d been there since he and Blair purchased the property almost two years ago, was a hulk of a man. Standing six-foot-four, his tall frame was perfectly proportioned with his chiseled physique. Genetics favored him early in life but working in the lumber industry following his stint in the military hardened him into head-to-toe muscle.
Known as Alpha, he was part of the crew who assembled the post and beam barn that was the first modern structure added by the Smarts after they purchased the property. The company he worked for, Vermont Frames, assembled the timber frame structure in Vermont and shipped it on a flatbed trailer to the Smarts in North Carolina.
Alpha was the head of the assembly crew and during the construction of the barn, he and Ryan quickly became friends. His actual name was Roger, last name unknown, but that didn’t matter to Ryan. He hadn’t called him anything other than by his nickname, Alpha, since the beginning.
A former combat soldier in the United States Army, Alpha had proudly served his country during multiple tours in the Middle East. He’d trained with the Special Forces Operational Detachment at Fort Bragg, and always enjoyed his time in North Carolina. When Ryan made him an offer to stay that included a home and an opportunity to be a part of something special, Alpha didn’t hesitate to accept.
“Good morning, fellas,” Ryan greeted cheerfully as he exited the Ranger. “Snow might be coming.”
“They got a foot in Vermont, overnight,” said Ryan in his deep, baritone voice. “I don’t miss it at all.”
“Same here,” said the older man who stood next to Alpha. “The damp cold gets into your bones.”
“Echo, for a farmer, you sure do squall a lot about the weather,” quipped Ryan as he slapped the older man on the back. He pointed toward the barn door and suggested they go inside. As he did, Echo, born, Justin Echols, responded.
“Here’s the thing. When you’re farmin’, you hope for sunny, blue skies and mild weather.”
“God doesn’t make perfect weather,” joked Ryan.
The former tobacco farmer continued in his crusty voice. “True, but he doesn’t have to make it so doggone inhospitable sometimes. I remember in the winter of oh-nine, the dadgum jet stream dipped down so low that the temperatures around Boone and Banner Elk never got above freezin’.”
Echo, the title bestowed upon him by Ryan when he was brought on board to manage the property’s farming and livestock operation, had a burgeoning tobacco farm until America’s penchant for smoking waned and the Federal Tobacco Quota Program was phased out years ago.
He and his wife tried to hold onto their business, but eventually the larger corporate farms that exceeded a hundred acres squeezed out the little guys like the Echols. The maxim that the only thing more lucrative than an acre of tobacco was another acre of tobacco held true. Eventually, the larger agribusiness companies like Cargill and the Koch Brothers moved in and purchased up farms that were barely making ends meet.
Ryan met Echo at a nearby farmer’s co-op one day and the two struck up a casual conversation. He invited the now-retired couple to the house for dinner and they immediately hit it off. Throughout the evening, Blair and Ryan learned more about the valuable skills the Echols could offer and immediately convinced them to join the team.
Ryan recalled how he brought Alpha and Echo onboard as the three men settled into the chairs around a hand-built, wooden table in the center of the foreman’s office. Over the past two years, the three of them, along with Blair, had expanded upon the Smart’s dream for the property.
They’d constructed numerous small homes and out-buildings with the aid of outside construction workers brought down from Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine during the winter months. Over time, families were accepted into their community. Others purchased property and still more built small homes that would be just large enough to suit their needs.
The Smarts also brought new life to the dozens of original structures that dotted the landscape of the two-hundred-acre property stretching along the meandering Henry River in Central North Carolina. These abandoned older structures had fallen into disrepair until Hollywood came knocking.
What was once the set of the Hunger Games movie franchise, the Henry River Mill Village was now owned by Ryan and Blair Smart and it had taken on a new name—Haven.
Chapter 3
Morning
New Year’s Eve
The Haven
Western ghost towns have always been a tourist destination. Travelers enjoyed visiting the dusty remnants of old mining towns left over from the glory days of the Gold Rush era, now abandoned but still filled with iconic tumbleweeds and decrepit horse troughs.
In the Eastern U.S., there was another financial boom in the early twentieth century that resulted in small towns and villages springing up in support of what became known as the Industrial Revolution.
New innovations in manufacturing and automation swept the nation like wildfire, with small towns and villages being constructed to support the workers who came from rural America seeking work. Often situated along rivers or near shipping ports, these new manufacturing facilities took advantage of the easy transportation and the unlimited free power the steady flow of a river could provide.
As a result, the quintessential mill town was born, with the iconic image of a riverfront factory attached to a large waterwheel. It was a scene that emerged all along the East Coast, and became just as prevalent as any horse-drawn carriage.
One such town was established along the Henry River thirty minutes outside of Hickory, North Carolina, one of the leading furniture industry centers in the state. The mill town, known as Henry River Mill Village, was established in 1905 and like so many gold-panning towns of the Western U.S., promises of employment and high wages lured new residents.
For a while, the new mill town delivered on those promises. In a short period of time, as interest in the town grew, more structures were constructed until thirty-five small homes, a two-story boarding house, and numerous out-buildings supported the population that worked almost exclusively at the mill.
For decades, the mill produced miles upon miles of fine yarn. However, like the boom towns which rose out of the crusty dirt during the Gold Rush, this mill town was destined to go bust.
Eventually, industry found its way into larger population centers, using energy resources far more efficient than water wheels, and the appetite for fine yarns began to lessen. The Henry River Mill shut down in 1973.
Sadly, the town began to die. People moved away, seeking work or a better life for their families in large cities like Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham. The town was totally abandoned by 1987 when its last resident found work elsewhere and left. All that remained was a ghost town, a throwback to the industrial age from the turn of the early-1900s.
The property changed hands as each owner fought vandals and mischievous teens. Then, a totally unexpected thing happened to this quiet, desol
ate part of North Carolina. Hollywood came knocking.
The Hunger Games movie team needed a location that exuded a dystopian feel in a post-apocalyptic world. The structures that remained were in remarkably good condition considering their age of over a hundred years. The producers agreed the abandoned town would serve as the ideal setting for the fictional District 12 that appeared in the first movie of the series.
During the filming of the movie, the actors and production crew began to have an unusual feeling about Henry Mill Village. Very subtly, it became apparent that the property might be haunted. Several unusual sightings occurred, especially at night along the banks of the Henry River as well as in the main house, the largest of the structures on the property, where sounds of breaking glass and large objects striking walls could be heard.
After the filming ended, and the team pulled out, the town was returned to its abandoned state, but the rumors of the hauntings persisted. Since the filming ended, a family purchased the property and began to conduct historic tours on the property focusing on the Hunger Games film and the property’s hauntings.
When Ryan learned that Henry River Mill Village was discreetly on the market, as soon as he and Blair settled their Mega Millions lottery winnings with the State of Florida, they made an offer and closed thirty days later.
The Haven was born.
Chapter 4
Morning
New Year’s Eve
The Haven
“What’s on tap for today, fellas?” asked Ryan as he fiddled with a pencil and a notepad on top of the table. His mind was still on the events he’d seen on the news earlier. He hated when he was right, sometimes.
“Well, all the boys are still up north for the holidays,” began Alpha. “It was good of ya’ to allow them the whole week between Christmas and New Year’s weekend.”
Ryan sipped his coffee through a straw and nodded. “We got an early start because winter hit them early and shut their building sites down. Plus, now that we’re in our second winter of remodeling the old worker homes, we’ve become more efficient.”
“Storing the building materials in HB-2 helped,” said Alpha.
“Well, it made sense to have them bring another barn with them from Vermont when they came south in October. We’ve got all the lumber we need to do our renovations and frame up several more homes. The window and door packages in the shipping containers, coupled with the roofing materials, just about gives us four new tiny homes for the right buyer.”
Echo added to the conversation. “Speaking of which, Miss Blair said you have two sets of prospects coming in today. That’s kind of odd for a holiday, isn’t it?”
Ryan shrugged and sat back in his chair. “Not if you watch the news. The country’s fallin’ apart, boys.”
“Just like you said it would,” added Alpha. “I’ve got buddies who went into the Guard after they left the Army. They’re being deployed all over the place from the Mexican border to the big cities. The president keeps adding more Guardsmen because the media argued he was violating Posse Comitatus with his use of regular military.”
The Posse Comitatus Act was passed by Congress in 1878. The law prohibits the use of the military for law enforcement purposes. The act allows, however, the president to mobilize the National Guard in a state with the governor’s consent, and usually upon the state’s request. This carved out an exception to the Act in which the National Guard could be used under state authority, or by executive order of the president.
“From what I’ve seen on the news in the last week or so, we’re gonna need to double the size of the Guard,” said Ryan. “Either way, interest in the Haven has grown substantially over the last six months and we’re now at a point in which we can be very selective.”
“Based upon what you have in place, what kind of people are you still looking for?” asked Echo.
Ryan stood and wandered around the spacious foreman’s office. “You know, Echo, we’ve always treated this like a business, but it’s not about money. You guys know what happened that enabled us to cut the check for this place. We have a much larger purpose, as you know, that will benefit all of us. Toward that end, the selection of people that we sell to is the most important role I have.”
“It’s a people business,” added Alpha.
“Exactly,” said Ryan as walked past his right-hand man. “With every home or parcel we sell, it’s not about the money but rather, whether this person a good fit for our community. They have to be like-minded thinkers, committed to what we believe in. But they also have to offer something of value.
“Security was first and foremost, and we’ve filled those slots with very capable folks. We’ve also made arrangements with our security team that ensures they’ll be here when the time comes.
“Initially, we needed guys who were handy with tools, both from a construction standpoint and the ability to maintain anything mechanical around here. Even in a grid down scenario, with our solar arrays and accompanying power generators, our machinery will be a luxury that must be maintained to last for many years.”
“Farmers, too, right boss?” asked Echo.
“You bet, my friend. Farmers, hunters, expert canners, and even survivalists. We never know if a situation arises in which we’ll need to send a team outside the Haven on a run of some sort. We need people who can go beyond the gates, live off the land, if necessary, and get back here alive.”
Alpha asked, “How do you feel about your medical personnel?”
“Weak. The ones we do have on board are absentee owners. There’s no guarantee they’ll make it here if a catastrophic event occurs. Sure, we have several of us who know how to bandage up wounds and deal with minor breaks. Blair has made sure our Armageddon Hospital is well-equipped and stocked with supplies. But we need more people capable of treating sickness and injuries.”
Alpha finished his coffee and looked at the snow flurries that were beginning to land on the windows. “If this stuff sticks, you might have cancellations.”
Ryan walked over to see for himself. He pulled out his phone, which beeped indicating he had a text message from Blair. She was awake.
“Well, the first guy is a communications specialist. During our background check, we confirmed he had ample knowledge of different radio systems and off-grid communications methods. Heck, the guy even claims he can set up what he called a Bob Ware phone system.”
“Huh?” asked Alpha. “You mean barbwire?”
Ryan laughed as he finished off his coffee. “You heard me right the first time. I said Bob Ware, like it was some fella’s name. The guy coming this morning was born and raised in Texas. He’s an avid hunter and fisherman. He’s got the comms skills and —.”
“Hang on, boss,” interrupted Echo. “You gotta help me out here. What’s a Bob Ware phone system?”
Ryan smiled and explained what he’d learned online. “The guy brought it up during our second phone interview and promised to give me the details when he comes by this morning. Here’s what I learned. Back in the day, especially on large ranches in Texas, barbed wire was used to encircle their property and keep the cattle in. In order to communicate with the ranch house, or a barn like HB-1, they hooked up store-bought telephones to the barbed wire fencing.”
“No way,” said Alpha.
“Yeah, true story,” continued Ryan. “They’d run a thin wire from the house to the barbed wire. The telephone signal would follow the length of the wire and transfer down the line along the barbed wire to the other phone’s location.”
“Well, I’ll be dogged,” said Echo. “I’ve had a farm and I’ve never heard of such.”
Ryan patted his friend on the back and made his way toward the door. “Well, I hope we’ll never need such a crazy way of communicating, but this new guy has the mindset to create one if, or shall I say when, the time comes.”
Leaving that ominous thought hanging in the air, Ryan took off for the newest building on the property, Haven House, designated HH.
> Chapter 5
Mid-morning
New Year’s Eve
Haven House
“Where are they? Where are my girls?” Ryan announced as he quickly closed the heavy, wood-carved front door in an attempt to keep the cold wind from blowing the moist air into the Smart’s home. The winter storm that had been predicted days ago was showing itself, prompting hazardous driving warnings and causing air travel to descend into chaos due to cancellations.
“They’re in here, Daddy, eating their brunch like good girls.” Blair replied on behalf of the girls whose faces were buried in a bowl of kibbles and boiled egg. Rarely did Chubby and The Roo come up for air when it was time to eat. Chubby, naturally, knocked her yummies out first. Then, she’d hover over her sister’s bowl until she finished. At the first opening, she’d sneak in and lick The Roo’s bowl. The poor child never seemed to get enough to eat.
Ryan entered the kitchen and kissed Blair on the cheek.
“Your lips are cold!” she playfully protested.
“Yeah, but your cheeks are warm. Thanks for thawing me out.”
She swatted at him with a kitchen towel and turned back to the stove. “I’m gonna invite Alpha, Echo, and his missus over for lunch. I’ve got chili simmering and cornbread is next on my to-do list. Whadya think?”
“For sure. I’ve got that interview at eleven. After that?”
“Yeah, I’ll let them know,” replied Blair. She continued mixing the cornbread recipe from her Aunt Sissy’s cookbook while Ryan scooped up the girls’ empty bowls and set them in the sink. Then, Blair turned to business. “Are you still a hundred percent on the new guy?”