Sharecropping The Apocalypse: A Prepper is Cast Adrift

by Ron Foster

  During this communal affair the somber conversations and lack of alcoholic beverages made for rather a sad meeting. This was the last of the available food in open evidence. Not being a prayerful group it was unusual on this day to start a meal with a prayer of Thanksgiving but it was expected, no demanded by many, for this day of reckoning. The prepper encampment had suffered no deaths or injuries; they were to be spared from the wildfires raging somewhere far off but still noticeable by the haze and smoke on the horizon.

  Their position in the unfolding calamity had a cynical gallows humor about it. For several of the confined campers, the irony of having already packed up all their gear and be camping at a bug out location seemed like some kind of miracle and if a disaster happened with a bunch of fellow preppers gathered around them well then so much the better!

  The older hands of prepperdom and woodland survival considered such an outlook delusional but still got a kick out of the mirth of it. Bugging out in an unorganized herd of preppers with no plan for community survival creates its own sets of unique problems. Oh, they were way ahead when the poo hit the fan in resources and knowledge and with this group of preppers cooperation was freely and smilingly given. Like I have said before, there was not any formal leadership structure and it was interesting to watch how people related to each other when it came to making suggestions on how to get off this damn island or how to try and survive upon it.

  It was surreal to not watch or hear the normal internet forum bickering about what’s in your bug out bag or what type of gun they should be carrying to survive such a fictional disaster. They were in it, it wasn’t a game anymore and they were adapting quickly.

  People related to each other with patience and understanding for the most part just like they did before they lost about 30 foot of shoreline.

  “Ok guys, the first order of business for today is that we think the river has calmed down and fallen enough for Crick to attempt a crossing. Now we have been over this before but let me reiterate what this means again because we all got ourselves some hard decisions to make. The first one that should be on everybody’s mind is what we are going to do if he finds some official help to get us off here and what we think the chances of that occurring are. We know from the radio that all river traffic is closed on the Tombigbee and Black Warrior rivers. We also know that the majority of all Fish and Game and other boats were severely damaged from the flooding and were also possibly attacked or arsoned in some way because of the way some marina locations were burned to the waterline. We know we got wild fires in the National Forests north of us that are considered acts of terrorism.” LowBuck said checking over his list of news and developments.

  The radio was manned 24/7 and all updates were posted on a community board and a separate list was given to LowBuck to chair community meetings with. Unexplained wildfires had broken out nationwide as well as the cities themselves had many uncontrolled fires raging. The civilian radio stations which were still broadcasting were distant and they only got bits and pieces of local news when the hourly recap of National news was covered by these stations. The emergency broadcast system was overwhelmed with having to allocate frequencies relevant to so many locales.

  “I am going to turn the meeting over to Crick now.” LowBuck declared and Crick took the podium.

  “I have heard talk from a lot of you about thinking about staying on where we are at. I can understand this line of thinking but I think we all know this would be futile unless we make some major changes and a lot of people need to make some promises they will find they can’t possibly keep. We know that there are just too many of us here and too many mouths to feed to survive much longer the way we are going. That little problem hopefully I will soon alleviate and evacuate some of you...” Crick said before happy voices of assent rose expressing that “hell yea” rescue couldn’t happen fast enough and that Crick was a hell of a man to undertake such service.

  “Quieten down you all! You know that don’t apply to everybody! We got folks here that got nowhere to go and no hopes of getting anywhere once they do get off of here!” LowBuck said with a scowl and the former joyous audience became a bit ashamed of their outbursts and settled down.

  “Yea, getting back to those who might be staying or going elsewhere. What we all got in common as a primary problem is none of us has a working vehicle on the other side of this river to even drive 10 miles home let alone the distances most of you all need to be traveling. I am lucky enough to only live about 15 miles from here. That’s 15 miles I will most likely be walking unless some passing stranger has mercy on me and gives me a ride home.” Crick said pausing and letting the momentous task he had of forging a flood blown river safely and then hoofing it home past Lord knows what kind of conditions and people he might meet to a possibly already raided house and then somehow miraculously come back and rescue them all.

  “You can do it, Crick!” Morgan cheered and his wife affirmed their faith in him.

  Normally Crick and Morgan would have both undertaken this heroic effort of crossing the river and trekking to their homes and the pair would have looked at the task as just one more big adventure to share. However, Morgan had his wife with him and risking his life and leaving her alone on a castaway island was not something to be considered. Besides that, LowBuck and crew couldn’t risk both their local guys on one singular dangerous mission. The President and the Vice President don’t ride on the same airplane, right? This reasoning was more than logical and reasonable so no further discussion of Morgan going at this time was to be considered.

  Crick was all for going it alone rather than traveling with a non-local or untried stranger as a partner but pretty much everyone agreed that at least two people had to undertake this “Preppers Road March” versus just one person for survivability and defense reasons.

  Some folks argued three people would have been even better but Crick had argued that with limited resources across the land that two people would be better received and more apt to receive help than three and that in his mind he would still like to go it alone.

  “That isn’t going to happen, Crick, you don’t face danger in anything other than a two man foxhole if you get my drift.” The old retired Marine campground volunteer had told him.

  “You know better than that man! The Army didn’t teach you to build no one man foxhole, it was always a two person affair. What if you got hurt? Who is going to watch your back and drag your sorry ass back to safety? We got too much riding on this rescue effort of yours. You are our best hope and if you do something dumb like twist your ankle or don’t see a water moccasin somebody else could of seen for you, we would all be screwed. How about anything that will take an extra pair of strong arms or alert eyes once you get home and that’s if you get home. Why it would take weeks for us to give up hope of rescue because something happened to you that we won’t know about before we send Morgan and his wife down the same trail we lost you on somehow.” Mack the jarhead said.

  Crick flinched at the thought of his friend and his wife trying to make the crossing and journey together alone. For one thing she would have to agree to it and for another thing who would they have to depend on if not him to insure their safety?

  “How about if me and Morgan and his wife tried to make the initial crossing together? Oh hell no!” Crick thought thinking about such a journey. Physically the lady was more than capable of it, but mentally that was another story. Oh, she could be more than brave enough to attempt it but she wasn’t an advocate of the prepper mindset and her mind was more attuned to the social niceties of life. There wasn’t going to be anything nice about this little raft and hike trip and the dangers of having such a beautiful woman along such a trip through the backwoods of a chaotic land could not be discounted or denied. Better she and Morgan stay safe and sound in the known than venture out in the great unknown.” Crick admonished himself.

  “I see your meaning Sarge, you are kind of stove up in body to make this kind of trip, you got any suggestio
ns on who I might take?” Crick said hoping the man might have a Game Warden or some other kind of official stuck on the island with them that he hadn’t thought about and that this federal Parks and Recreation notable volunteer might know about.

  “No Man, I want to think I could make that long march with you but I know better. I am medically disabled and would give out on you and need a rest after a few hours. You got a ton of good folks down here at your little prepper whoop de doo and I am sure you can find someone to go with you that can support you better than me or anybody else on staff at this campground. I would have said the Game warden but I haven’t seen him since the dams were blown. I tell you what though Son, grab one of the old military guys to go with you, if they are fit enough. Get you somebody that’s been tried and true and knows how to overcome adversity and having grit thrown in their gears. I don’t need to lecture you Crick, you already are considering what troops you got to deal with ain`t you?” Mack said staring at the younger man intently.

  “That I do Mack, you’re right I need find me a swimming buddy it’s just a matter of choosing who. Thanks for the advice man!” Crick said, extending his hand for a shake.

  “Ok Prepper group, as I was saying I will attempt the crossing tomorrow about 8:30 in the morning if the weather and the river appear to be cooperating. LowBuck and I talked to a bunch of you all informally yesterday regarding what we foresaw the other side of this river being like and we all came to several conclusions no one liked. For one thing, I think my chances of finding you an official rescue vessel to come get you off here are slim to none but I am going to try. We all know if I do find any official help then official rules apply. That means no evacuating with guns, knives or bazookas or anything else on a contraband list they going to search you for before you board a boat or a bus to the FEMA camps.” Crick said before a chorus of boos and hisses in regard to the word “FEMA Camps” was expressed.

  “Shit! You all listen up or we will be here all day! Now if you all pay attention to Crick he might have the educated solution most of you all need!” Morgan groused surprising everyone with the normally taciturn and reserved man’s outburst and bringing everyone’s attention back to studying every one of Crick’s further foreboding words.

  “Excuse me folks, but I personally didn’t see the value in decamping in mass until Crick brought up one of David’s studies and I see the sense in it now. Crick, gimme a minute to explain something if you don’t mind.” LowBuck said, looking towards Crick for approval.

  “Go ahead man, there is a lot to consider and they need to know.” Crick said settling in to allow the chairman to have his say.

  “Thanks, Crick brought something to my attention yesterday that I hadn’t considered. He called it “Cohesiveness. Is that the right word, buddy?” LowBuck said looking to Crick and Morgan for agreement.

  “That’s right, everybody stay in a group and stick like glue, if we can.” Morgan said before Crick could give his affirmation.

  “Well, Morgan let me explain it differently since I had to listen to David rattle on about the importance of that word in this instance and never realized how valuable that advice was until now. You all know David was an emergency manager and he is the only one that I know is both a prepper and a professional master of mitigating disasters. He told me last year how he would handle a predicament like we are in now in an official capacity of a government relief force and made some good points to consider.” Crick stated eying his deeply attuned audience.

  “Well, what did he say?” Rod wanted to know, unsure if a government ride to his house 75 miles away beat even considering trying to hike that far regardless of the circumstances he found himself in.

  Prepper Stock, well this year’s prepper stock anyway was sort of an eye-opener if you looked at our partial group photo. The graying heavy set participants were more represented than the younger more fit 30 something’s. No bunch of weight lifting or exercising health nuts here, just a general slice of America that laughed that we were not the men or women that we used to be. At least we knew our limitations and had no fantasies about our youth as age and physical capabilities had been tried over the last 3 ½ grueling weeks of just plain trying to live on this becoming desolate island.

  “Anyway, folks,” Crick said taking center stage in front of the speaker’s podium, “What David related to me was his experience and studies of Hurricane Katrina on how they bussed out the refugees and how the cops dealt with the hold-out “I ain`t moving types.” Crick said wishing he had had an alcoholic beverage to sip on before carrying on.

  “David said if for some reason we found ourselves in a situation like we are in now and we were participating in a government mandated evacuation would be what we all know as an enforced disarmament and baggage minimization effort. The crux to all that, is you can’t get on a bus or boat without possibly being searched and joining a herd of sheeple and lot of those people will be without honor or morals. That means no guns, no knives and if you don’t take advantage of the amnesty to turn your shit in willingly before you get on the bus the guards give you to give up contraband under emergency powers acts, you will be classified a criminal offender and processed accordingly. I asked him what that meant but he said he didn’t know the outcome of those yanked out of line with undeclared found contraband and put in handcuffs but it couldn’t be good, as enhanced mandatory sentences had been pre legislatively passed for such events just like they had been for merchant price gouging. On the upside of this law enacted meant a bus load of preppers could stick together on the same evacuation bus if they were willing to comply.” Crick stated observing the conflicting emotions of his audience.

  “ If I somehow find you a government assisted relief effort to come get everyone, you are going to have to leave your shit behind and take your chances of riding a bus or being forced marched to a camp without your protections or most of your supplies. However, for some that is not a bad thing and I am not pointing fingers at those that might be physically less capable than your neighbors to not take advantage of the governments’ offer of assistance. I am just saying LowBuck and I unfortunately had to consider what we call the “Give up the Gun and Knife” club should some of you choose this as your best option. If this route sounds like your best option to consider and you are comfortable with it, don’t get stupid and try to smuggle shit on a bus or a boat. It is martial law now and there is no telling where or what kind of internment camp or jail you will most likely find yourself in. There is no escape or sneakiness you can come up with as they are going to metallic detector wand you coming and going. Now, we have possibly come up with a way for those who choose this route of getting back to their support communities that might make sense to some. Either give your weapons and tools up to someone you like or LowBuck is going to come around with a box you can dispose of your property in for the common good to be distributed later. That means you leave without your pistol or anything with a sharp edge and we give options to those “bugging out” on their own or for whatever reason chooses to remain here.” Crick said causing a great deal of consternation and personal self-reflection on the assemblage.

  “You all don’t start no shit but LowBuck you take this pocket rocket and maybe my fingernail clippers for your collection box.” Rod said, surprising everyone to be the first volunteer for the dreaded conspiracy theories of the camps most were aware of.

  “ Hey Boys and Girls I am a HAM radio operator without his commo gear, my place is at my radio in Millbrook and I got to open lines of communication and touch base with the rest of my fellow operators as soon as I can. Give me a bus ride home and I am in your debt, the hell with thinking I am going to some kind of gulag, folks need us ham operators during disasters and the government already knows this and appreciates us.” Said Rod adamantly.

  “That’s the ticket!” LowBuck said jubilantly putting a check next to his name on a roster he was making.

  “I got a question though, LowBuck, you ready for it?” Rod asked, hesitan
tly.

  “That is?” LowBuck inquired.

  “Yea, if home is not like I think it’s going to be can have my stuff back?” Rod said seriously scrutinizing everyone before he released claim to his goods.

  “Most assuredly, are we all in agreement that anyone surrendering pistols and knives and such can get them back if they ever happen to return back to this place?” LowBuck said looking around at everyone who thought it was easy to give assent to such an impossibility.

  “I mean it now! If you throw in this box your wares and I lend you another man’s or woman’s personal protection you have to give it back based on personal demand, am I clear?” LowBuck said studying the faces around him.

  “Sure, Sure!” Was the response by most in the crowd and the motion was carried.

  “Now, another thing has to be considered.” Crick said sternly looking all around.

  “In order for those that choose a different course of action like bugging home under their own foot power or deciding to stay on this island, “mums” the word as to our armament or numbers. Let those that desire some anonymity or OPSEC remain obscure from the government numbering and decision making processes. We live free or are indentured based upon those of us that by fate or fortune choose the government path to possibly easier living or further hardship. You know what treason is gentleman and ladies and the penalty for such based upon your own morals and what history predicates. We have no formal rules or even talk of something that might indicate a death penalty but such an infraction of the rule I propose should occur be forewarned and be deathly afraid because there are willing enforcers present.” Crick said, letting this message of warning not be dismissed casually.