American Exit Strategy: Book 1

by Mark Goodwin

  They got to the exit and executed their refueling plan without incident. They were back on the road and Karen was driving. They were out of coffee, but they did have some Mountain Dew. Prior to reaching the I-285 Atlanta bypass, Matt started searching for another campground to go to once they were past the city. They were both tired and they had to rest soon. He soon located one in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It was only about 70 miles north of Atlanta.

  They reached the I-285 Bypass just after sunrise. It was eerily quiet. Matt had not known what to expect. The news radio had reported several fires and some rioting in Atlanta the night before, but there was not much in the way of details. All of the news reports were focused on the oil markets and the stock market which had been shut down again to cauterize the bleeding of wealth into oblivion. The Dow had plummeted 840 points the previous day causing the SEC to halt trading before lunch. This was the second time in a month that the circuit breaker rule had been used to freeze trading on all the major exchanges.

  Just before they were ready to get back on I-75 north, Karen noticed a wreck in the distance. As they got closer they could see two cars nearly blocking the road and a woman's body lying in the road.

  "Should we stop to help?" Karen asked.

  "Neither one of those cars are damaged." Matt said as he analyzed the scene. "Drive around on the left shoulder in case there are people on the other side of the vehicles laying in ambush. That will put them on my side of the truck so I can return fire if they fire upon us."

  "OK" Karen said with a voice that let Matt know she was determined to get through. Karen was immensely feminine, but she could be tough if she had to be. Matt absolutely loved that about her.

  As they passed the two cars in the road, Matt noticed two men in ski masks on the backside of the cars. They were sitting with their backs against the cars with shotguns in their hands. As they passed them, they drew their guns. Matt thumbed off the safety of the AR-15 and stuck it out the window in the direction of the men. He began laying down cover fire to keep the men's heads down until they were clear of the effective range of a shot gun. Karen smashed the gas pedal to the floor of the truck and they sped off. Miss Mae once again found refuge under the seat.

  15 minutes later, the adrenaline wore off from their most recent near miss. After being up so many hours and having so many adrenaline rushes, they were crashing. The sun was well up and the day was bright. Everything was starting to feel like a dream. When they reached the campground, Matt pitched the tent and Karen went straight in and fell fast asleep. There was only two other sets of campers at the site. They seemed to be hunters. Matt wasn't sure what season was on but he could tell that was why the other campers where here.

  Matt started a fire and made some coffee. His body was screaming for sleep, but he had to keep watch while Karen slept. He kept the door of the tent zipped up so Miss Mae would not sneak out of the tent. It was chilly, so it was safe to assume she would crawl in 'The Mule' with Karen. 'The Mule' was Matt's nickname for Karen's sleeping bag. It was the largest thickest, heaviest sleeping bag ever made. He had come up with the moniker for the subzero rated sleeping bag because it was like trying to move a dead mule. It was bulky and heavy, but 'The Mule' was a great thing to have in a tent when it was cold outside. Matt also made himself some bacon eggs and toast over the fire. He heard Miss Mae meowing in the tent. He unzipped it and let her walk outside. She cautiously inspected the scent of the fire before completely coming outside. She slowly walked to the back of the tent to relieve herself, then trotted back to where the bacon and eggs were. Matt sat the plate down and the cat ate her fill. Matt put her back in the tent and she found her place in the catacombs of ‘The Mule’.

  Matt walked around the fire and threw in the occasional stick. He did this till about 12:00 noon when he started another batch of bacon and eggs. He started some coffee for Karen and woke her up. She was completely under, and he hated to wake her, but he had to have her up so he could sleep a few hours before they completed their trip.

  Karen finally came around and took over guard duty while Matt crawled into the tent. The sleeping bag was already warm and Miss Mae was still in a ball in the middle. Matt was snoring within two minutes of lying down.

  Karen heard a gunshot in the distance. She thought of waking Matt but didn't. She kept her hand on her pistol inside the waist of her jeans as she surveyed the woods and listened for movement. About 30 minutes later, she found out what the gunshot had been. Two of the hunters from the camp across from them were coming through the woods with an eight point buck. She watched as they strung the deer up in the tree and began to skin it. She was happy to see they had something to do besides give her trouble.

  Two hours later, one of the hunters came by with a heaping plate full of freshly roasted venison. She was a bit nervous when he approached, but she could quickly see he was a kind hearted man and meant no harm. It refreshed her hope for humanity and reminded her that everyone wasn't mean. She thanked him and he returned to his camp without saying much. The seasoning on the venison was spectacular. She though it must be something similar to Montreal Steak seasoning, but it had something else in it. She just couldn't figure out what it was.

  She woke Matt up at 4:00 p.m. and they struck the tent. Karen gave Matt some of the roasted venison. They ate it with some salt and vinegar potato chips and celery sticks. Matt made another pot of coffee before he put out the fire. He topped of the magazine for the AR-15 and put three more magazines in the glove compartment of the truck. He had never thought he would actually shoot it, of course he never thought he would have to kill anyone either. He didn't think he had hit either of the men behind the car on the bypass, but he felt strangely indifferent as if he didn't care whether he had or not. As he thought about it after some rest, he realized he felt no guilt for having killed the two men. There was some worry that he would be caught up in an investigation at this, the worst possible spot in history, but no guilt. If he felt anything, he was angry that the men had caused him to deviate from his plan and risked getting him caught up in a legal quagmire. Should he feel guilty? He didn't know. There was no doubt, if he would have hesitated, it would have been him lying in the pool of blood and brain. He thought about what Frank had said. Matt had done what he had to do. Matt was certain there would be no shortage of instant replays of the event in his head as he lays in bed at night trying to forget.

  The Bairs filled the tank and got back on the road.

  CHAPTER 27

  “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.

  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”

  2 Corinthians 6:14

  Wesley Bair finished his coffee. He hadn't said a word through breakfast.

  "What's up little brother?" Adam asked as he finished a biscuit with jelly.

  "Adam, I need to bring Shelly up here. The world is falling apart and if I don't, I will probably never see her again." Wesley replied.

  "Hold your horses Wes. I told you, you were welcome to stay here, but you knew this wasn't going to be no love shack. I mind my own business, but I will not allow people sleeping together under my roof if they aren't married. I ask God to bless me every day, the least I can do is maintain a moral standard in my house." Adam replied.

  Carissa was too young to really get the drift of the conversation, but Mandy was 12 and she knew exactly what was going on. She didn't say a word, but she gave her mother the look that said "Please do something!"

  Janice saw that Mandy was embarrassed and interrupted the conversation. "Why don't you boys go check to see if the hens laid any egg. Plus you will be able to finish your conversation in private."

  Adam and Wesley both winced as they noticed how the conversation had bothered Mandy. She wasn't a baby anymore and they had to be more careful. They walked out to the yard and Adam continued his speech. "I though there wasn't anyone serious? Have I even heard of Shelly?"

  Wesley repl
ied. "I don't say much about her to anyone. She was in my class last semester and I would have gotten fired if the college knew I was dating a student, even though she isn't in my class anymore. We have been going out for a while. I guess I didn't know it was serious until just now. The thought of never seeing her is putting a sinking feeling in my stomach."

  "You could have told me about her. What did you think? I was going to turn you in to the Dean?" Adam replied.

  "Not at all. I was just in secret squirrel mode with the relationship and didn't talk to anyone about it." Wesley answered.

  Adam returned, "I understand you like this girl Wes, but you can't bring a non Christian up here to live. It’s hard enough to raise two girls right. I don't need them having any permanent bad examples around. You hardly ever go to church with us. Your priorities are based on other things besides God's will, but you know right from wrong. I guess I know deep down that you will come around at some point."

  "She is a Christian." Wesley interjected.

  "Come on Bro. Are you telling me you two have been hanging out at church every Sunday when you go to Berea?" Adam asked.

  "Not exactly." Wesley said. "I kept telling her I would go with her, but it’s always too late by the time I get down there."

  Adam didn't say anything for a while. He was Wesley's brother, not his father, but he had stepped into that role without meaning to on some occasions. This was different though. This was about setting a good example for his girls and maintaining the integrity of his home.

  "Do you want to marry this girl?" Adam asked.

  Wesley was silent for a while.

  Adam continued "If not, I think you should just let her go. We are approaching one of the most interesting periods of our nation's history. Things are about to get nuts. If she ain't the one, she’s just going to be extra baggage that you don't need. If she’s some crazy chick, she’s going to get you distracted, and that might get you killed. We don't know; we may be in the middle of a civil war a month from now. You also can't bring some brainwashed liberal or statist neo-con around here either. The time for missionary dating and trying to convince people to wake up from the lies in the mainstream media is over. We have to know we can trust people and we have to know where they stand."

  "She’s the one." Wesley said finally. "And she voted for Paul Randall. She is pretty radical. I saw her light into some liberals about the Second Amendment one time. She really knows her stuff. That’s why I liked her so much."

  "Why are you just now figuring out that she’s the one?" Adam asked.

  "I already knew. I just wasn't ready to commit. I thought I had all the time in the world. I was being selfish." Wesley responded.

  "Well, if she comes here, you have to sleep on the couch and give her your room. If that rule gets violated, one of you have to find somewhere else to sleep until you get married. Do you even know if she feels the same way?" Adam asked.

  "She does. I’ve been a jerk and taking it for granted." Wesley said.

  "OK, go get her. It’s 80 miles round trip. Take Janice's car to save gas. Either of the trucks will burn fuel we don't have to waste." Adam said.

  "She’ll probably want to bring her stuff." Wesley replied. "I would be better off in a truck."

  "Wesley, it could be weeks, months or years before the gas stations have fuel again. I understand this is important to you, but we have to conserve resources. The back seat folds down. You should be able to fit an awful lot of clothes back there. Besides clothes, we have everything she could possibly need right here." Adam stated.

  "You're right." Wesley agreed.

  "Take a .45 and a rifle. Those college kids might start getting desperate. You never know." Adam added.

  Wesley shook his head in agreement. He went inside to the safe and grabbed an AR-15. He stuck a 1911 .45 Colt Commander in a shoulder holster and two extra magazines for each weapon.

  Wesley wasted no time. As he got in the car, Adam shut the door for him and looked at him as he said "Watch your six."

  Adam went back inside and pulled out his phone. Matt and Karen should have arrived by now. He called Matt's number, but all the circuits were busy. Since he couldn't get through on the phone, he shot Matt a text "u ok?" Even when circuits were overloaded, text messages would usually still go through. It might be delayed by hours, but they would eventually get to the intended user.

  Adam, Janice and the girls got busy doing their chores. There were animals to feed and a few apples left in the orchard to gather.

  Three hours later, Wesley and Shelly arrived.

  Wesley introduced her to the family and everyone gave her a warm welcome. Janice showed her where she would be sleeping and the guys brought in her personal effects.

  Once Shelly was settled, Janice made some sandwiches and everyone ate together.

  After lunch they all retired to the family room to watch the news. Mandy usually had no interest in the news, but she realized that the world was falling apart and she tried to understand what was happening by listening to the adults and watching the news. Carissa sat near her sister and played with her dolls.

  CNC's Patrick James was reporting from Wall Street. "The scene here on Wall Street is eerily reminiscent of a horror movie. There are no people going back and forth. This was to be a short week anyway due to it being Thanksgiving week. The SEC has determined that US markets will remain closed through the holiday and reopen on Monday. An SEC spokesman told CNC earlier that Thanksgiving week trading is always light because many traders travel for the holiday. He also said that the reduced amount of traders brings increased volatility into the market. There are less buyers and sellers to absorb the shocks when trading is light.

  The White House has released a temporary emergency order to help deal with gasoline shortages and calm fears. Tensions are still high from the riots at the beginning of the month that resulted from temporary budget shortfalls for the SNAP benefit program. The White House was eager to get in front of this latest news to prevent the chaos and bloodshed that erupted from the last economic challenge.

  In the comments given by White House Press Secretary, Armando Sanchez, the administration gave an overview of their plan to manage the present crisis. Sanchez told reporters to expect a longer, more detailed explanation of the plan from a speech that the President will deliver tomorrow morning.

  Armando Sanchez began by saying the White House was in complete control of the situation. He assured Americans that gas stations would be on line again by tomorrow morning. The US is releasing a large portion of their strategic oil reserves to combat the situation, but Sanchez asked that Americans cancel their plans to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday. Once the gas stations reopen, the US Government will be limiting gasoline purchases to five gallons per week. While law enforcement representatives will be monitoring gas stations to insure that no one purchases more than five gallons at a time, the White House is asking people to respect the restriction on the honor system until Homeland Security can institute a ration system on Monday of next week.

  While Sanchez made no mention of it in his address, the Department of Energy has notified all US oil producers and gasoline refineries that the U.S. Government would be nationalizing 20% of their current production until strategic reserves could be resupplied. The notification sent to oil and gas industry executives also included vague language that informed them that essential government services, emergency services, food transportation and public transportation would be supplied with fuel from the strategic reserves until the crisis fully abates.

  Wesley Bair snickered to himself at the report.

  "What’s funny?" Adam asked.

  "Fully abates." Wesley answered. "This isn’t going to 'fully abate'. The government just nationalized the oil industry."

  Adam added, "They will never quit taking the 20%. There is nothing temporary about it. "

  Karen added "Maybe 20% is temporary. They will probably have to raise it to 30% after a few smaller oil companies go bankrup
t from the government theft."

  Wesley said, "Taking 20% of production will probably bankrupt all of the oil and gas companies. The only ones that can stay solvent will be the ones the government bails out. That is the design of this move. It will be just like the health insurance industry. The individual mandate had a fine that was lower than the cost of insurance. Everybody waited till they got sick to buy insurance. That bankrupted every insurance company except Medisure, which is every bit as much of a government entity as the D.O.D. or the Social Security Administration. That strategy got the government the single payer system they wanted from the beginning. This move will do the same for the oil industry. The only company that will survive will be the one the government picks. It might be Exxon, BP or whoever they decide to prop up.

  People associated fascism with the Nazis, but fascism is really the intertwined relationship between large corporations and the government. Medisure is the government tentacle of healthcare, Howe Clancy is the government tentacle of banking and we will soon see who is to be the government tentacle of the oil and gas industry."

  Janice said "Well, I suppose that won't go well for the oil stocks when they reopen the markets."

  "You're right about that." Adam agreed.

  "Maybe someone could pick the company the government is going to bail out to run the show. That stock might do well." Shelly said. She was shy, but she was eager to be part of the family.

  "Possibly." Wesley said. "But I expect the government to watch them all sink to the bottom so they can come in and bailout the company they want with a large stock purchase. They will get it dirt cheap and probably be able to purchase more than 51% of the stock. That would give them controlling interest."

  Adam's phone chirped. It was a text from Matt. "Be there by 10pm we are safe but roads are rough :( "