by Ron Foster
“I sort of agree with what you are saying David, but for the sake of my wife and kids let’s please just pretend like this is just a long-term inconvenience and not the actual end of the world as you seem to be talking about a lot. Cripes boy! I got my old momma to think about also and she needs all the hope she can get and hold onto about now. She is worried to death that her meds are running out soon and that we don’t have anyway for her to get anymore when they are gone. It’s got her thinking and talking about dying and she is worrying all of us around the house no end” Mike said advising David to try and candy coat his words about doom and gloom if the subject of government emergency response or assistance came up.
“Sure, Mike I will watch it, just chattering at you.” David assured him.
“Hey, David, did you hear on the radio about China invading and taking the island of Taiwan and the Chinese’s also shutting down the Panama Canal in South America? What’s that all about anyway?” Mike said as they parked the deer trailer and went in the house for coffee.
“Wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Hell the Chinese already controls the canal. They have inserted more than 200,000 Chinese into Panama over the years. Lots of folks are going to take advantage of this situation like I said. Supposedly China declared that they traced their own terrorist cyber-attack on their grid system back to Taiwan but that could be anything from truth to propaganda. China has been spoiling for a reason, pretty much any reason to do just what they are doing now and invading that country for a long time. Don’t worry; this global war has just begun! I doubt anyone will start slinging nukes or are contemplating having themselves much of a traditional Land, Air and Sea war or anything to dramatic, nope asymmetric strategic warfare will rule the day and you don’t know where it’s coming from and it’s damn hard to identify by whom. The insertion phase has been successfully completed for the long asymmetric strategic warfare plan and we have now moved into that final year operations phase. It’s kind of like the horseman of the apocalypse got together for a game of chaotic chess.” David said letting his statements sink in and thanking Julie for the steaming mug of black coffee she handed him.
“So in your opinion what’s next in this ‘war of the worlds’ scenario buddy? I mean you mentioned that we already had plenty of insurgents, terrorists, mole spies, radical religious groups and every other kind of nut case running around here in this country with the lord knows what kind of weapons of mass destruction. You think some kind of WMD is next?” Mike asked very carefully trying to not appear as rattled as he actually was about that insidious notion.
“I have been thinking on that thorny subject quite a bit lately and have concluded that basically it just depends on who whacked us and why. Somebody is pissed off at us that is for sure, just depends now on who and what for. That there will be more attacks and that will create more anarchy is an assured outcome, yes most definitely assured I am sorry to say. However, I sure hope and pray the shit doesn’t start falling like dominos around the world with every evil soul taking up arms to take advantage of a situation and drag the world down into a deeper burning hell with them. Think about it this way, in Los Angeles you got to contend with on any given normal day the armed gangs who roam the streets and terrorize the neighborhood. Every few inter city blocks are controlled by one of more than 30 armed different factions doing some kind of warring drug lord thing while murdering and robbing folks.
The gangs have been able to survive and shoot at each other every single day for decades and that’s mainly because they were being only somewhat marginally contained by the cops and the modern legal system. Now it’s a no holds barred world for them without law and order and it takes just one firebomb (which you know somebody will think to use) to set the whole city on fire because the fire department can’t respond etc. So the survivors of this damn cyber-attack in LA are toast now because somebody else’s political agenda or culture tried to take advantage of the situation for a little revenge or to influence a little druggie control over another warring faction. What freaks me out is that Smallpox is already in the hands of the worlds terrorists, and it is the nasty Soviet-modified kind that is resistant to most countermeasures. I can tell you from my emergency management studies that whenever smallpox is unleashed in a single large city anywhere on this planet, it will eventually kill one-third of the human population. Things are going to get real freaking strange around here no matter what happens and we may as well plan to be pretty much on our own for the rest of our lives in my opinion. But then again I must say it’s a wait and see affair whether or not it ever escalates into WMDs, all I can say now is pray it don’t.” David said ominously to his evidently shocked and afraid listeners.
“That bad? Really, David? You really really don’t know the chances of someone taking advantage of this situation like North Korea or Iran attacking us with biological agents either directly or through one of their proxies? Those fanatics are not sane on a good day I remember you saying. ” Julie asked somewhat confused that he hadn’t given a comparative statistic or risk assessment on the probability of the situation.
“Too many if`s, ands or but’s in the works to give you any kind of decent percentage guess of that possibility Julie. I am sure both countries are making noise and saber rattling right now to do something just like that, but they do that kind of threatening all the time anyway and then we threaten them back with massive retaliation, but we just do it not as publicly or as aggressively.” David said dismissively before resuming his banter.
“Propaganda takes on many different forms and I am guessing about right now that we will be hearing lots of it on the radio soon from everyone with any kind or type of agenda to serve. I believe all of them lousy bastards, the government, the terrorists and the huge utility corporations as well as the sorry ass media will just talk about turning off and on the lights slowly before the whole works goes poof! The government and FEMA will hand out little pocket lights of hope so that people can peek at a small area around them, but they will never give the people enough light to see the big picture of a permanent blackout occurring and lasting for years. We will all have to try to endure varying degrees of the slippery slimy slow descent of this societal collapse until we get to the point of complete anarchy worldwide. The Dark Ages will look like a romp in the park by comparison to the crap we got coming. Does anyone really wonder why it is increasingly only the ignorant and oblivious that still trusts the government anymore?” David said going into the kitchen to retrieve a dark curve bladed Old Hickory brand skinning knife from his kitchen drawer that he had honed to a razors edge.
“Mike checks this out. If I am not out in the field or woods using my sheath knife, then this is my blade of choice for the tasks at hand of skinning that buck neatly.“ David said changing the subject and showing Mike the knife.
“Dang that thing looks older than my Grand Pa, how long you had that weird looking knife David?’ Mike said seeing that the dark blade had been significantly thinned over time from constant sharpening, but the edge looked true and it looked like it could split frog hairs if David had a mind to.
“I don’t know, I have had it 20, 25 years maybe? They still make these knives you know and their reasonably priced special carbon steel blades that gets dark with age and that aspect of them reduces rust. “David said taking the knife back.
“The sharper your knife, the easier your life.” Mike quoted peering at the assortment of blades David had in a kitchen drawer.
“Hadn’t heard that one before Mike. That saying makes a lot of sense though.” David replied pondering upon its country wisdom meaning.
“Did you ever end up deciding whether or not you’re going to clean that deer here on the property David? I thought you said you were going to take it down to Mike’s place to do it?” Julie asked while trying to speculate on what it David was had in mind to do with the deer at the moment and why.
“I haven’t really had a chance to talk about that subject yet; we sort of got sidetracked
dragging the deer back here. Mike I got lots of swamp deer that use my place as a trail crossing point from the woods to the paved road and up until now my land hasn’t been hunted in 10 years. What I propose to you is that you clean the deer up at your place and dispose of the offal and other nasty stuff on your property. If you want to use the scraps for snare bait we can do that also but you best keep track of whose dogs are out and about running loose.” David said not really wanting to have to deal with processing possums or getting involved with a lost neighborhood dog dispute just yet.
“I wish we had us some wild hogs close by. I could use them deer guts and such to attract them into shooting range with. I guess I will talk to my wife and see what pot she is willing to give up out of her kitchen and cook up something for the dog. I don’t want him eating raw meat and taking a chance on worms. Maybe if that husky gets a taste for venison he will become a good deer dog! Ha!” Mike said thinking that dang dog of his was fast enough already to catch one if he had a mind too.
“Hey, now that reminds me! Charlie up the road might know if there are some wild hogs in the area Mike. Me and him have got us a sort of prepper pact going on between us also. Me and him have drank ourselves many a beer and played with various prepper toys over the years while discussing how we might be able to help each other out in a situation like this. I thought that I would have seen him come around here to my place by now and come to think of it I am starting to wonder if he is even at home at the moment. He has been among the missing anyway. You want to take a walk up there with me before you head back or do you want to go ahead and get started on cleaning that deer? Hey. Charlie’s got himself a big barrel smoker by the way that we could use. That smoker would be handier than what I had in mind for preserving some of the venison.” David declared.
“Sure David, I will walk up there with you. I take it that since you are giving me half of that deer in barter that I am on my own to transport and butcher it?” Mike said not caring one way or the other if David wanted it that way, just as long as he ended up with some much needed food for him and his family.
“I can help you drag it up to your house. Besides I wanted to come down and say hi to your family anyway. I would even venture to say butcher it up at Charlie’s and we all have a big cook out, but I am not comfortable leaving my house unattended at the moment. I got some neighbor trust issues going on I need to remedy or at least get myself comfortable about. By the way I have already talked to them questionable neighbors across the street from me, but I know little or nothing about them or the ones living on the other side of me. Charles knows the neighbors on my left personally and does not have much regard for them. He told me awhile back to steer clear of the “prison family” when I first moved down this way, but he never said much more to me about them. Wish I had of asked him for some more detailed information on them people now. That other couple who lives up from them on our road before you get to Charles place I don’t know very much about them either. I met the live in girlfriend from that trailer parked up there in the pines one time and she seemed a kind of shady character but she was nice enough. Talked a lot of alcohol induced trash about whom she knew was a prostitute or dope fiend up in the city that hung out around the day labor places if I remember that day correctly. I never have seen hide nor hair of her boyfriend though. He supposedly raised some bulldogs up there on that ridge but I haven’t heard much barking to support that theory and only saw the one dog next to their trailer when Charles ex-girlfriend had me give them a ride to take her home onetime. You can’t even see their place from the road at all.” David said envisioning the uphill walk to his friend’s house.
“I don’t know much about them folks next door to you either. The moms sickly and she has been to prison for something or the other and I heard they got one mentally challenged kid as well living there as well as the two brothers that have done some penitentiary time for drugs or burglary. You never see them folks outside their house, kind of reclusive types. You have any problems with them people you let me know.” Mike said staring off at the couple acres of woods separating the neighboring house. You couldn’t see the neighbor’s house from David’s but it was easy enough to hear its occupants if their dogs barked or if music was played loud.
“Yea Mike we got to figure out for ourselves some kind of communication signals or something between us. Establish us some better communication between us someway. I got one set of Midland handheld radios that I figured we could share with Clancy at the entrance to the road but I haven’t thought that exchange all the way through as of yet. “That way if either one of us gets wind of suspicious activity we can warn each other. It’s beneficial to have an extra set of eyes and ears even if they don’t live right next door.
I got to also get myself up to see the “Mole Boys” eventually. I don’t know how they are making out these days or even which one of them boys are around. They will get the notion to all walk or drive down here soon enough though I bet, but those danged dogs of Clancy’s will mess with you if they walk past his house on the way to mine. Those ill-mannered hounds of Clancy’s have always been free ranging country dogs, but me and Clancy disagree on how much manners those dogs actually have. If you are used to dogs you can sort of control their aggressive behavior by hollering at them, but they are still squirrelly enough that even though I have met them hounds before and have been formally introduced I don’t like getting out of my truck unless Clancy’s around when I go to visit him. That SOB Clancy likes it that way and thinks that it’s in some way amusing that if the dogs don’t know you well, they tell you whose property they think it is by quite loudly barking and challenging you”. David said reminiscing on the meet the dog’s routine at Clancy’s which you were never quite sure how it would turn out.
“He is ok personally, but I know what you mean about them dang dogs of his. I remember when he let farmer Lutz put them bee hives next to his catfish pond. I didn’t say nothing but I was hoping that damn Akita looking male dog of his named Farley would have gotten an attitude adjustment from the bees for pissing on their box when they arrived. I told you once about that one damn time I tried to ride a bike over there? Damned dogs made me walk it half way up the road there and halfway back. That friggin Akita got a thing about bicycles and those other two dogs do whatever he does because he is the ornery Alpha male. Separated from him they are pretty sweet dogs on their own, but don’t try riding a bicycle by them both without stopping and walking it.” Mike said gruffly thinking he would of smacked one of them dogs if it had of kept up its barking charge that was hard to tell if it was all bluff, nervousness or naked aggression towards him and his bicycle.
“He feeds them catfish he raises in his ponds with regular pelletized fish food; I wonder what happens to that smaller catfish pond if he doesn’t feed them at all? You reckon without that oxygen bubbler going and regular feeding those fish will just all up and die?” Mike asked thinking maybe tonight would be fish and forest food for the dinner plate.
“Damn good question Mike. What DOES happen to an overstocked pond if you don’t feed the fish contained in it?” David said looking skeptical. He had not even considered that bit of info until Mike had brought it up for discussion.
“They eat each other and the big fish wins and chases the smaller fish around the pond at lunchtime?” Julie said not joking in the least and the group babbled questionably and vociferously about the future outcomes of the smaller fish in the ponds until Mike and David eventually rousted themselves and headed out of the house to go to Charlie’s place and ask him the same question.
“Well it’s the same old shit I see David. Those neighbors of yours got all their blinds closed up, front yard is full of weird junk and they are themselves nowhere to be seen. Hell the only way you know anything about them is to watch what type of junk disappears or appears in front of that rundown place.” Mike said as he and David walked by the dubious structure.
“To be honest, I hope it stays that way.” David said picki
ng up his pace to pass by the house quicker and hopefully not be observed by the occupants.
“You know Mike, in a normal grid down situation, like one caused by a hurricane or something, I would have been the first one to finally walk over to that house and see that they were doing all right after a bit of reflection on their welfare. Now a days it feels weird to hope I never have to see them or visit that house EVER.” David said unsure of the wave of feelings and emotions coming over him suddenly that apparently caused him to have such low opinions of folks he had never met.
“I can understand your wanting to do something helpful or be sociable to people David, but don’t you be letting folks take kindness for weakness. Like you said,” its dance with the devil time and the ox is in the ditch”. You can’t just go help out whoever you want these days without some kind of unexpected or unwanted repercussions possibly coming from it. Besides, you got nothing much food wise put away for yourself and for that matter, I will remind you that you are now sharing game as hunting partners with me!” Mike said giving David twinges of guilt on how much food he had hidden away from his quasi, well up until now anyway, friend.
“We’re living in a time of constantly evolving instability David.” Mike said, adjusting the hunting knife sheath on his belt. “It doesn’t take long for people to turn into animals. I seen it in Iraq” he concluded.