by A J Newman
Dan stopped as he saw the dead man and asked, “Who is he and why did you shoot him?”
“Dad, Cloe shot him. I just threw my ax at him,” Butch said.
“Why?” Dan asked.
“Mr. West, the asshole said he was going to kill Butch and make me his new girlfriend. I know that what really meant. He was going to rape me, so I shot him,” Cloe said.
“Why did you shoot him the second time?” Dan asked.
“I didn’t kill him the first time. I should have shot him twice in the chest and once in the head like Joe taught me. I’ll get better with practice.”
Dan was astounded and dumbfounded by Cloe’s blunt talk. He took the man’s weapons and searched the body for identification. The man didn’t have a wallet or anything to use to identify him.
“I guess we’ll have to put John Doe on his grave marker,” Dan said.
“Why not let the coyotes get him. The asshat wasn’t going to bury Butch after he shot him,” Cloe said as she picked up the ends of two logs and began dragging them back to the cabin.
Dan and Butch buried the man while Cloe dragged the logs back to the cabin. She met Jane and Ginny on the way and told them what happened.
“You killed the man while he lay on the ground,” Ginny said.
“Yes just like Joe taught me to do. I missed his heart on the first shot and didn’t take the second and third because Butch startled me when he threw the ax at the man’s head. I finished the job with a bullet to his head,” Cloe said.
“Cloe you say that so calmly,” Ginny replied.
“As Joe says, “Sometimes you just have to take out the trash,” Cloe said.
“Well, I’m going to check on Butch,” Ginny said.
“He’s okay. The man raised his pistol to shoot Butch, and that is why I shot the man the first time. He threatened to rape me, and that’s why I killed the asshat,” Cloe said.
“Cloe, I believe you like to wind Ginny up a bit,” Jane said as she saw Ginny walk off.
“I don’t do it intentionally, but I don’t back down either. Why doesn’t Ginny get it that the man would do this many times until someone stopped him? I saved Butch and killed a pedophile rapist,” Cloe said.
“I agree with you. I would have killed him. You did the right thing, but perhaps you need to be quiet about it in the future. Grownups aren’t used to hearing kids talk about killing people,” Jane said.
“Jane, would Cole have killed the man, if the man was going to attack me?” Cloe asked.
“Yes he would have also killed the man, and I would be proud of him. Why do you ask?” Jane asked.
“Jane, would it be okay if I date Cole?” Cloe asked very calmly.
Jane choked for a second and replied, “You need to ask him. I would be proud for you and him to see each other,” Jane said.
“Good, I like him, and I need a man that I can count on when the shit hits the fan.”
“Girl, we all do. Let me know if you find one for me,” Jane wistfully answered. Jane walked away laughing about how sincere and mature the young girl was. Then Jane stopped in her tracks as she realized how true the girl’s words were.
Jane walked into a conversation that Dan and Ginny were having later that afternoon and heard Ginny say, “I don’t want that girl hanging out with Butch. She is a cold-blooded killer. She showed no remorse at all.”
“Darling, I didn’t like it either, but these are different times. That man was going to kill our son. Cloe saved him and neutralized the threat. It goes against what I learned in law enforcement, but we don’t have jails to put the scum in or food to feed them. I’m sorry, but I think she did the right thing,” Dan said.
“Hey, Ginny, hey, Dan. Don’t worry about Cloe. She is moving into our cabin and won’t be hanging out with Butch anymore. Oh, they’ll be friends, but she and Cole are going to be dating in the future. I think they are better suited for each other and it also solves your problem, Ginny.”
“That’s fine with me. I’m glad she won’t be seeing my boy,” Ginny said.
“I’m not going to tell you how to raise your boy but …” Jane tried to say.
“Well, then don’t,” Ginny said and walked away to her house.
“Dan, I’m sorry. I just meant to say that kids have to grow up quick these days or beasts like that man will run roughshod over them. He could have killed your boy. I’m afraid he won’t be able to protect himself or his family one day,” Jane said.
“Me too,” was all Dan could muster.
The next day Dan asked Jane if Cloe and Cole could come with him to go over to Ben’s place. They were going to travel to a nearby ranch and see if they could get an old tractor running.
“Of course, I’ll pack you a lunch and tell them to be ready to spend the day,” Jane said.
“Jane, I want to be perfectly honest with you. I need them to pull guard duty while Ben and I work on the tractor. The place is close to the road, and I don’t want anyone slipping up on us,” Dan confessed.
“They both will do a good job. Take Bennie along for a guard dog,” Jane offered.
Dan drove the Jeep and picked Ben up on their way to the ranch, which was half a mile east of Ben’s place. They parked in some trees by the road a short distance from the ranch house and walked to the ranch. When Dan was certain the place was abandoned he sent Cole and Cloe back to pick up the Jeep.
They got in the Jeep, and Cloe said, “Cole, I killed that man the other day for trying to kill Butch and take me. Does that bother you?” Cloe asked.
“Of course it does. I would kill anyone who tried to hurt you. The man deserved to die. I wish I had been there to kill him so you wouldn’t have had to,” Cole said.
“Cole do you have a girlfriend?” Cloe asked.
Cole pulled her close and said, “I do now.” He kissed her and then drove to the ranch house.
Cloe sat beside him holding his arm with a big smile on her face. Cloe was a very intelligent young lady and had read most of the survival books Joe had at their home. She had learned a great deal from the manuals and post-apocalyptic fiction. One important thing she learned was that it took a team to survive and she was going to survive. Cole would make a good mate and a good father when the time came. Cloe didn’t want her kids to be raised only by her, as her mom had to do. She wanted a good man who could do the tough stuff and survive.
The tractor was an old Ford 9N manufactured in 1941. Ben looked at the battery and said, “Oh shit.”
“What’s wrong Ben?” Dan asked.
“The damn thing is six volt,” Ben answered.
“Won’t a 12-volt battery work? It’s got more power.”
“No, the thing has a positive ground, and I think we’ll just burn everything up. Most of these have been converted to 12-volt systems over the years, but not this one,” Ben said.
“Ben, I read a history book about the GIs returning from WWII and it said that many of them bought Jeeps when they got back home,” Cloe said before being interrupted.
“Sorry, but what does that have to do with this tractor?” Dan asked.
“Well, it seems that most of them couldn’t afford a truck and a tractor so they made attachments so they could use their Jeep for farming. Several companies saw the homemade attachments and started manufacturing store bought plows, discs, and harrows for Jeeps. Why don’t we mount a plow on the back bumper of the Jeep and plow the ground?” Cloe said.
“Cole, take the hand pump and put some air in that trailer while we load the plow and disc into the trailer. Cloe, your brains come in useful every now and then. Cole, use your brawn to help us pick this plow up and set it on the trailer,” Ben said.
Dan patted Cloe on the back and whispered, “I guess Butch’s loss is Cole’s gain. I’m proud of you Cloe.”
“Dan, that means a lot to me,” Cloe said and then hugged him.
Dan pulled the trailer into the barn and welded a fixture to hold the plow to the trailer hitch on the Jeep. The barn had a small
shop complete with useless electric welders but also had Oxy-Acetylene bottles and a torch. Ben had worked around ranches all his life and could weld with electricity or Oxy-Acetylene.
While Dan and Ben manufactured the plow adapter, Cloe and Cole walked around the barn to watch for any strangers or other danger. They were busy getting to know each other better when suddenly they heard a cow making a horrible sound that didn’t sound like the normal mooing they were used to hearing. The sound came from the backside of the barn. Cole ran around the barn in the lead and abruptly stopped in his tracks.
“Bear,” Cole screamed at the top of his lungs. A bear was trying to get to two calves, and the momma cow was trying to keep the bear at bay.
“I’m going to shoot the bear. We both need to shoot if we’re going to kill the monster,” Cole yelled.
Cole fired two .223s into the bear's side from the Mini 14, and Cloe shot her M&P 15 three times hitting the bear every time. The bear roared and charged the couple. Cole and Cloe stood their ground firing shot after shot as the Grizzly ran toward them.
“Shit, he’s still coming,” Cloe yelled.
“Keep shooting,” Cole said.
The 600-pound bear started off fifty yards away and reached full speed even though it had been hit with six .223 rounds. The bear was only twenty feet away, and they had each shot a dozen rounds of .223 at the beast, but most missed or didn’t hit a vital organ. Benny sprang into action and attacked the bear nipping at its paws and head. He couldn’t hurt the bear, but he managed to distract the bear and slow it down.
“My dog! Bennie. He’s killing my dog!”
Cole reacted quickly and pushed Cloe behind a manure spreader that was only a few feet away. He dove under the wagon as the bear crashed on past them. Bennie had saved their lives.
Cloe had recovered and aimed at the bear’s head and neck shooting as fast as she could with accuracy. Most of the bullets missed their target.
“Keep shooting! The bastard has to die for killing Bennie!” Cloe yelled.
Cole joined is as the bear slowly turned toward them. Both guns were empty now, and they frantically reached for their magazines when suddenly two loud explosions came from the back of the bear. The bear fell and crashed into the manure spreader knocking it sideways. Cole pushed Cloe out of the way, and the bear fell on top of him.
“Kids are you two okay?” Ben yelled from the other side of the bear.
“Yes, Bennie kept him from killing us. Help get this thing off of me,” Cole said.
Cloe saw Bennie lying on the ground and ran to him. He was covered in bear slobber and had several puncture wounds but would survive. Cole stood up and rushed to her while thinking that Cloe had run to the dog instead of him.
Cloe laid Bennie’s head in her lap and kissed his head. “Bennie, you get the first bear steak. Good dog.”
Dan said, “You two were lucky that dog slowed the bear down. A damn Grizzly can outrun a horse. Those .223s would have eventually killed him if you survived long enough. It takes a high-powered rifle or big bore pistol to take down a charging bear. Ben’s .44 Magnum finished the job you started.”
“Even a .223 can kill a bear with a few well-placed shots, but you can’t be accurate when a bear is running full speed at you. We need some more .44s to spread around the group. If there’s one Grizzly there could be many more,” Ben said.
“Now we need to skin this big animal and get us some bear meat before the coyotes, and vultures get a hold of it. Cloe and I’ll haul the plow back to the cabins and return with some knives and something to put the meat in. Cole, enjoy skinning your first bear,” Dan said.
Cloe looked back at the dead momma cow and said, “We also need to round up the cow and our new calves and add them to our menagerie. We’ll need to check the cow for injuries.”
It took four hours to skin and cut up the bear. They had over 200 pounds of bear meat and a nice bear rug, once it was tanned. They spent the next day smoking bear meat so it wouldn’t spoil. The bear meat was a welcome break from rabbit and Spam they had lived on for months. It was a bit strong, but at least it wasn’t rabbit. They all had bear steaks that night and ate until they couldn’t hold anymore.
Cloe apologized for running to her dog first and said, “Cole, I knew you were okay but that SOB bit Bennie.”
“Well, I guess I know you love your dog more than me,” Cole teased.
“Cole, I like you a lot, but I love my dog,” Cloe teased back.
“Well, at least I’m in second place,” Cole said.
“Nope, third after my new dad,” Cloe said.
“Cloe, we have to get us a .44 Magnum. I don’t ever want to be that scared again,” Cole said quietly.
“Cole, you saved my life also by pushing me under that wagon. That was brave saving me first while that bear ran at you,” Cloe said and then kissed Cole.
“Cloe are you okay? Ben told us about the bear,” Jane asked.
“Yes, Bennie slowed the bear down, and Cole shoved me under a wagon as the bear almost caught up to us. Cole saved me. He is my hero.” Cloe said.
“I’ll doctor Bennie while you go clean up. You’re covered in Bennie’s blood, and I want you clean so I can check you for wounds,” Jane said.
“Jane, I’m okay,” Cloe protested.
“Get your butt in the bathroom and come back here squeaky clean. Now!” Jane ordered.
Ginny came running up to Jane as Cloe left for the bathroom and asked, “Is she okay? I heard they tangled with a bear.”
“It was a Grizzly bear that attacked. Black bears aren’t too aggressive. They are more afraid of you than you need to be of them. Don’t mess with a mother when her cubs are around, and you’ll never have a problem. We’ll shoot one for meat every year and harvest them to add to our larder. Grizzlies are rare around here, but Cougars and Grizzlies are the most dangerous predators,” Jane said.
“Add thugs and terrorists to that predator list,” Ginny said.
Cloe had come back from the bathroom and asked, “Jane, do we have any more of those big pistols like Ben used to kill that bear?”
“I believe Joe has several .357 and .44 Magnums in his stash. I think a .44 might be a bit too powerful for you. We’ll try the .357,” Jane answered.
“Jane, could you give one to Cole also?”
“Yes, Cloe. I guess he’ll be with you a lot from now on,” Jane said. Jane then checked Cloe out for wounds and found she only had a few scrapes and scratches. She thought that Cloe and Cole would be good for each other.
The next day Dan and Ben took Cloe and Cole with them to test the plow. They drove the Jeep to a meadow between Dan and Joe’s place and began their first attempts at plowing. It took several fifty-foot rows before they learned that they could only plow about five inches deep and had to run over the rows two to three times to get the ground turned over. They also learned that the plow had to stick out past the side of the jeep or the Jeep’s tires would pack the soil down again.
In three days, they had a garden that measured 100 x 100 feet, and then they started planting. While Ginny, Jane, and Sarah planted, the others pounded T-posts and installed fencing. Then they ran chicken fencing around the bottom of the fence to keep the rabbits out of the garden. Ben fashioned a gate from some scrap 2x4s and the fence was done.
“We need some mothballs to spread around the inside of the fence. That will keep smaller mice and such out of our garden,” Ginny said.
“We can also plant Marigolds, mint, and a bunch of other plants that keep insects and mosquitoes away,” Sarah said.
Cloe directed Cole and the other kids in gathering rabbit droppings to fertilize the garden. Dot and Charlie made scarecrows and tied pie tins to the fences to scare birds away. Sarah gave Ben and Jane a list of woodland plants to dig up and bring to her garden so she could start making home remedies.
“Jane, I’ll be glad to teach you how to make my Grandmother’s home medicines. They really do work and will be needed when the medicine
runs out. I also brought you a copy of the Peterson Field Guide for Edible Plants. This copy covers this area.”
“That would be fantastic. I’ll bring some of the plants back to our garden,” Jane responded.
Neither Jane nor Ben realized that Sarah would keep pushing the two together. Ben was timid at first but found Jane to be easy to talk with, and they were soon joking and flirting a bit. Jane was jealous that she didn’t have a good man like Ben to share her life. She would never try to steal him away, but she thought a little innocent flirting couldn’t hurt, could it?
On the fifth day, the community looked at the garden and began thinking about the vegetables it would soon produce.
“Dan, we need to round up the stray goats, pigs, and cattle. Ben, we need fences to keep them from wandering, and we also need to protect them from bears, cougars, and men,” Jane said.
Cole replied, “Oh boy, we’re going to be Cowboys!”
“And Cowgirls!” Cloe said as she pinched his side.
They broke up into two teams with Ben and Sarah leading Cole and Cloe and Dan and Jane leading Charlie and Butch on a spring roundup. They all thought they should have horses to get the job done, but their first chore was to find horses.
There were a few horse and cattle tracks in the mountains where they were located, but they knew the larger amounts of animals would be found down in the Rogue River Valley. This was also, where the most survivors and thugs were located.
There first two days were fruitful, and they captured two horses, three cows, and seven chickens. The horses and cows were tame and let the people walk right up to them and place halters on them. The chickens had to be trapped in cages made out of chicken wire and baited.
The farming operation was far ahead of the ranching operation but grew every day as they searched far and wide for more animals. Cloe brought several cats home with Cole and her from one trip to a ranch west of the community. Jane brought home a momma dog and her litter of half-starved puppies. The Golden Retrievers would hunt for their own food once they were large enough.