by A J Newman
“Need to see any more?”
With the help of the Sheriff and his men, we changed our vehicles and loaded a ton of weapons and ammo into them. By the time we finished, all of the town’s surviving people were safely in the building. Geena and I passed out MREs and water while Sally cared for Sharon.
••••
I was playing ball with a four year old boy when one of the men came in and told us it was raining very hard and looked bad southwest of our location. Then thunder cracked in the distance and with each minute the noise grew in intensity until it sounded like we were being bombed. All of the people upstairs came flooding down the stairs as the storm shattered the windows.
We heard and felt the vibrations as the wind gusts tried to blow the building down around us. There was the sound of walls cracking and straining as the intensity of the wind grew. The noise outside shifted to a deeper sound and just as it peaked it sounded like several freight trains passing us at once. There was a steady rumble as the building above us fell in on itself. Suddenly there was a crash and debris fell down the stairs blocking the stairway. Women were screaming and kids were crying while I hugged Geena and Sally. We were lying under one of the Humvees and I will admit to being scared shitless. It sounded like the world was coming to an end. I prayed to God to save us from this disaster and promised to be good forever. I was thinking, “Damn the bad luck to survive an EMP and TSHTF only to be killed by a tornado.
I heard, “Tornado?”
“Hell yes, it’s a tornado. This is a bad storm. Keep everyone in the basement until the Sheriff says it’s clear.”
The storm kept on for another 15 minutes and started tapering off. I joined Aaron and the Sheriff at the side door and was nearly blown off my feet when suddenly there was a total calm outside.
“Is this the eye of the storm?”
“Yes, get ready for more.”
I looked outside and the area looked like a scene from one of those WWII movies where a town had been repeatedly bombed. Just total devastation west and southwest.
The storm raged on for another several hours before it changed to a hard soaking rain. Aaron and the Sheriff sent several teams to check out the building for damage. They found the ground floor was in bad shape and the second floor was gone. I mean gone as in not a stick or brick remained. The storm had blown it away. We may have all been dead or injured if not for seeking shelter in the basement of the Armory.
While waiting on the storm to blow over several of the town’s men and I helped Davi and Aaron place twin SAWs on our Humvees and three of the remaining ones. Aaron gave them training on the Humvees and the weapon systems. I held small arms training for three other groups before the rain stopped. It got quiet outside and everyone wanted to go out and see what was left of the town.
I was in the first group to leave the Armory and the sight brought tears to my eyes. Everything west and south of the Armory was in ruins. The Sheriff surveyed the surroundings and said, “Thank God no one was killed or injured by this disaster and I personally thank him for destroying the gangs headquarters and the liquor warehouse.”
Aaron was astounded by what he heard and asked, “The gang was sharing the town with you?”
“They stayed on the southwest side and we stayed east of the Armory. They captured the liquor and beer distributor’s warehouses just after arriving and never left. They are only a mile due south of here.”
“Let’s finish them off and free any hostages while they are still reeling from the storm damage.”
I choked while thinking that Aaron could get an old Kentucky boy killed.
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Chapter 14
Unwanted Guest
The Farm, outside of Owensville, Kentucky
“Lynn, what are you doing here and how did you get here?”
“Well Mike, I’m happy to see you too.”
“I’m sorry, but we broke up six months ago and I never expected to see you again. You know my sister, Joan. This is Callie, Joan’s daughter. Callie, this is Lynn Drake.”
“Pleasure to meet ya’ll. When the shit hit the fan, I remembered you told me about you and Zack being preppers. My dad is a prepper, but he lives in Georgia, so I started walking here as fast as I could. I knew that you and Zack would know what to do with the world falling apart.”
Mike took Lynn over to the porch swing for some privacy.
“I never thought I would see you again.”
“I thought we were good together.”
“Lynn, you told me that I was a self absorbed asshole with a tiny penis. No one says penis.”
“Dickhead, I was mad at you. We were together for six months. We were in love and I wanted you forever. I finally said I love you and asked you to move in with me. You were scared shitless and dumped me over dinner at a cheap restaurant. I need your help. You owe me.”
“Lynn, I don’t owe you anything, but I will help you because it is the right thing to do.”
“Mike, can you tell me what I did wrong? I thought that we’d be married and live together forever.”
“Darling, a nice young lady like you stole my heart and shit on me. I don’t trust any women and still hate her. I’m not ready to fall in love and live with one woman the rest of my life.”
“I feel so sorry for you. So you hate all women?”
“No, I just don’t trust them.”
Mike did his best to make everyone comfortable while Joan and Callie fixed supper. The farmhouse had four bedrooms and the tack room had several bunk beds. He gave Lynn his bedroom and gave Joan and Callie a room to share. He didn’t want to drive to Dale until the next morning so he gave Ally and her daughter, Sue, a room to share and told Paul that he would sleep out in the tack room with him.
“Mike, is my mom going to die?”
“Son, I don’t think so, but she has to want to live. You and your sister have to cut her some slack while she grieves for your dad. Be kind and gentle with her for a few weeks and she’ll come around.”
“Do we have to go home in the morning? I’d like to stay here with you until mom feels better.”
Mike thought, “Oh shit,” but replied, “Of course you can stay here until your mom gets better.”
“We can’t pay you, but Sue and I can do some chores to help out and pay for our room and board. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Mike took Paul out to the field behind the barn and said, “I’m going to teach you how to plow so we can plant a large garden. I’ll show Sue how to feed the livestock and chickens. Joan will try to keep your mom busy so she doesn’t have time to think about the bad stuff in her life.”
“Thanks Mike.”
“No problem kid, everyone needs a helping hand every now and then.”
Supper was over and Mike called everyone to the great room to discuss dividing chores and guard duty. He helped Paul coax his mom into the room and had her sit in the rocking chair.
“I called you together to discuss a couple of things before we turn in for the night. First, Ally and her kids will be staying with us for a while until they can travel to their home. Second, we need to divide the chores in the morning after breakfast. We have to start thinking long term and plant a large garden. Last, we have to set up guards to cover us at night. We also have to be vigilant every day and keep an eye out for strangers approaching the farm. There are bad people out there.”
Joan spoke up, “I’ll head up the kitchen along with Ally and also take my turn at guard duty.”
Lynn added, “I’m into gardening and will be glad to become a guard. We also need to think about scavenging for more food, guns, toilet paper and feminine hygiene products. I’m a fan of Post Apocalyptic novels and there are warehouses and stalled trucks on the road full of food and supplies. I even learned a lot from watching that Zombie series on TV.”
“Great idea. I was thinking the same. We need a scavenging team. Lynn, I’ll help you find what can be found before others take it al
l.”
They brainstormed for an hour and made several lists of chores, a "to do" list and a guard schedule. Joan didn’t like it, but Mike included Callie as one of the guards.
“Mike, this is your niece and my daughter. She is just a girl, not a guard. This could be dangerous.”
“Look Sis, life is dangerous these days. The three of us adults would have to take three hours each and would be dead tired all day. Two hours is bad enough. Besides the guard is posted just to alert the rest of us to action if something happens, not fight invaders by themselves.”
“I don’t care; she is my baby girl.”
“Your baby is growing up and had better grow up quick.”
Zack’s uncle had built a crow’s nest on top of the barn that was five feet higher than the roof of the barn. This gave the guards a clear view for hundreds of yards around the house and barn. Mike took them up into the crow’s nest and prepped each one with the layout of the farm and the most likely spots where intruders would try to gain entrance. Uncle Arlo thought of everything.
“Team, we will leave two MP 15s and a shotgun up here in the crow’s nest at all times. All three will be loaded with three spare magazines each. The Saiga shotgun will kick like a mule, but with these 12 round magazines, it can throw a ton of that number 4 buckshot down range quickly. Only use it if intruders get close to the barn or try to come into the crow’s nest. Now the fun part.”
Mike reached into a bag, brought out the night vision goggles and said, “Don’t drop these. We have two, but we won’t find replacements. You will be able to see the enemy long before he sees you. Don’t leave them on all night. We can’t waste batteries. Scan the area around the farm every 10 to 15 minutes and you will catch anyone trying to sneak up on us. Don’t be shocked when you see eyes glowing in the dark. Animal’s eyes reflect light very well and their eyes show up like a full moon. Any questions?”
Callie asked, “What do we do if we spot someone?”
“Good question. If you see someone or something that worries you, just key this walkie talkie and it will wake me up. If I don’t answer, pull that string and a bell will ring in the house that will wake us all up. If you are sure that we are under attack, call on the radio, pull the string and shoot a couple of rounds above the intruder’s heads. That will give me time to haul ass up to see what’s going on.”
Lynn asked, “What if you are on duty and call for help?”
“Grab your weapons and prepare to repel the enemy. Shoot first and ask questions later.”
“When do you give us some guns?”
“Now.”
Mike took the nine to midnight three hour slot with Lynn, Callie and Joan following with two hours each. The time passed slowly as he thought about his best friend out on the trail trying to get home. The funny thing was he never feared for Zack’s life, but instead was thinking about Zack and those two women. Mike was deep in thought when he saw the light come on in the kitchen a few minutes before Lynn was due to relieve him. He watched her leave the porch with her shotgun pointing ahead of her. She looked side to side and was quickly in the barn and up the ladder to the crow’s nest.
“Hello Mike, don’t shoot me.”
“You looked like you know what you were doing while you were crossing the yard to the barn.”
“I told you my dad was a prepper. He was also in the Army for several years and taught me how to handle myself.”
“Damn, you came across as the typical girlie girl. You had me fooled.”
“Most men don’t like strong willed women who can take care of themselves. Ya’ll like to protect us poor defenseless little girls.”
“Don’t you think you sell some of us short? I happen to like a woman who can handle a gun as long as it’s not pointed at me.”
“Now don’t get me wrong. I like a man to open doors for me and treat me like a lady. I don’t want him to have a hurt ego when I jump on top in bed and take over. I like men who aren’t afraid of me.”
Mike was at a loss for words when Lynn kissed him and locked her arms around him. He held her tight and said, “Wow, that kiss stirred up something that has to wait until later. We can’t fool around during guard duty. Only fools get caught with their pants down.”
“Oh, don’t think you were getting more than a kiss after dumping my ass. I plan to make your life miserable missing what you had and gave up.”
“Ouch, I’m going to bed.”
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Chapter 15
War
Vincennes, Indiana
The gang’s headquarters was in a small motel located a mile south of the Armory between 41 South and South Decherd Street. Aaron’s plan was to perform surveillance on the gang and use the information to draw them out into the open and decimate them with the twin SAWs on the Humvees. The part I didn’t like was he asked me to go on the scouting mission to the gang’s headquarters. Now don’t get me wrong, I can handle myself in a fight and am more than fair with a rifle, but I never went looking for a fight either.
“Aaron, shouldn’t we pack up and head south? We’ve armed these people and they can easily kill all of the gang without much effort. Why should we put our necks on the line?”
“Because if not us, who will help them? They have the arms, but have no leader. I think they will turn tail and run when first shot at, leaving the Humvees and weapons behind them. Then this gang will be the best armed group in the area and can expand and take more territory. Let’s kill them off now before they grow.”
“I guess you are right. I’d want someone helping my family if they were in the same situation. I’m in.”
“I knew you’d be in once you thought it through. Now here’s what I need you two to do.”
After Aaron told me that he wanted me to go with Davi to infiltrate the gang’s stronghold, I went to tell Geena. She was not happy I was going off to spend a couple of days with that “Israeli woman.” We talked for several hours and I told her she was the only woman that I was interested in, but that I didn’t want to lead her on either. I really didn’t want to think about women right now.
Davi and I waited until dark and walked south along the west side of Highway 41 through the broken houses and downed woods between the Armory and the gang’s location. The destruction made for slow going as we navigated around piles of limbs and debris. There was more than adequate cover and no sign of the gang or anyone else for that matter. We only saw a couple of dogs along the way and they ran when they saw us. We were wearing black clothing and had covered our faces with the dark camouflage paint Aaron found in the National Guard supplies.
Davi looked over at me as we stopped behind a house and said, “You might not be a soldier, but at least you look like one. Just don’t get trigger happy and shoot me in the back.”
“You could have stopped with how great I look in camo.”
“We are almost directly across from the liquor warehouse and need to proceed carefully from here on. Some of the gang might even be living in the houses around us, but my guess is they are all in the hotel south of the warehouse. Let’s stop here for a while and watch and listen.”
“Okay, Boss.”
We sat on some cinder blocks behind a felled tree and surveyed the area across Highway 41 where the gang was supposed to be for half an hour before we heard the first activity.
“That sounded like a scream coming from the warehouse parking lot. Look closely at that big RV close to the warehouse. It has lights on inside.”
Suddenly the door to the RV slammed open and someone ran out screaming and running towards the highway. Following right behind her, a man was yelling for her to stop. He fell down twice and was obviously drunk. She cleared the highway and ran right at us. The poor girl only had a pair of panties and tennis shoes on and was terrified. She didn’t see the log we were hiding behind and did a header right into us. Davi grabbed her, drug her behind the house just as the drunken biker tripped over the same log and fell on top of m
e. The bastard was so drunk that he thought that I was the girl.
“Look bitch when I get through with you, you won’t be able to run away. I’m going to cut the tendons to your feet and you will be crawling around instead of running away.”
I pulled my knife as I grabbed him from behind and slit his throat.
“You won’t be hurting any women now, bastard.”
I let him drop to the ground and shoved him under the pile of limbs by the log. I heard the girl whimpering behind the house and joined Davi and her between a car and the house.
“Are you alright?” asked Davi.
“Who are you? Let me go.”
“Settle down girl. We are the good guys. Are you from this area?”
“No, I was driving home from IU to Murphy when these men captured me. I’ve been that SOB’s woman since then.”
Davi hugged her and asked, “The rest of our people are straight up the road north of here. Can you walk up to them? They will take care of you. They are at the Armory.”
“I guess so. Can’t you come with me?”
“Sorry, but we are on a mission.”
“Can you save the others?”
“What others?”
“There are 15 to 20 women and young girls at the hotel. We were all held captive and abused. Two of the girls are my friends and were captured with me.”
I quickly replied, “We’ll do our best to save the women and kill every last one of these fuckers. I promise you.”
I removed my bulletproof vest and gave her my shirt and said, “Ask for Geena and Sally when you get there; they will take good care of you.”
The girl headed towards the Armory and we looked at each other and Davi said, “Disasters bring out the best and the worst in people,” as she kissed me on the forehead.