Apocalypse Coming

by William Dunaway

  Brandy said, “I agree with Wit. You should’ve just killed them.”

  Mike spoke up, “I agree, we're going to be exchanging shots with them, but we couldn’t just kill them sitting there. There is a difference.”

  “What’s the difference? I’m not saying we should’ve, but when it comes down to it, it would’ve been safer to do it then. Now we won’t just be facing them. It could be the whole damn town as far as we know.” Red stated.

  “Do you really think you’re going to have to fight them?” Angela asked almost in tears.

  Mo moved over and put his arm around her, “Probably, baby.”

  “There’s no probably about it, the line was drawn. He seemed nuts enough to do anything, as I’ve seen guys in prison that way.” Paul said.

  “Maybe you scared them off,” Mia commented.

  I finally spoke up, “No, they’ll be coming and coming soon. I could see it in his eyes. The man looked possessed at times. Think about it. We could’ve blown him away at the drop of a hat and he knew it, but he kept threatening.”

  Mo laughed, “Not when you put your Glock to his head.”

  Wit jumped back in, “You guys haven’t seen the Jones yet. Maybe you would have a different attitude if you would’ve seen what they did.”

  Brandy started crying, “I’ve never thought this way before, but I want to see those moron’s dead.”

  “I think Vince did the right thing. We couldn’t just kill them while sitting in a chair.” Carmen said.

  The discussion about Lebowski went on for a while. It was so sad that we went from one of the best days we could’ve had, to talking about whether we should’ve blown four peoples brains out.

  I sat back and let everyone give their views. I knew they all needed to vent.

  Finally, I said, “Listen, Wit’s right, Mike’s right, MO’s right, everybody is right. Don’t you think that I wanted to pull the trigger when I had it against his head? Every part of my body wanted to blow them all away. But I made the decision, and I’m responsible for that decision. I pray that no one will have to pay it, and if anybody has to, I literally pray that it’s me.”

  I could see tears in Kim and Carmen’s eyes.

  Wit said, “Don’t even talk that way, Vince. I could just see Mrs. Jones laying there with her throat cut. I can’t get that image out of my mind, and I think that’s what brought out all the anger.”

  “Trust me Wit. I’m angry, and a very large part of me regrets the decision I made. But I made it for two different reasons. First of all, if we would have killed them, we probably wouldn’t have stopped the fight that’s coming. They may not have been there for it but what would the town have thought when their so-called mayor leaves to have a meeting and then ends up dead or missing. They’d want blood.

  But the main reason is, killing them where they stood and sat, even with it maybe being the smart move, would be just like killing POWs. You know, shooting defenseless POW’s could be justified by saying, we would be preventing a fight with them in the future in case they’re exchanged for our own POW’s and they return to the battlefield and we have to fight them all over again. It may have a little merit in some people’s eyes but it’s not what an honorable person would do, and I don’t know of anyone here that would shoot a POW using that rationality.”

  When I was done, I could see that everyone understood and agreed.

  Wit looked at me, “You’re right. You made the right decision.”

  “Well, we need to break this up. We have some roadblocks to build.” Mike stated.

  All of us started scrambling and since everyone was extra motivated, we had the roadblocks done within the hour. Mike and Paul took the jeep and talked to the Akers and then Jim Simpson, who had just got done burying the Jones along with the help from Jake, Ben and the front end loader on his tractor. Using the tractor, it took a fraction of the time. Later, we would have a memorial service, but we couldn’t take the time now.

  Mike worked out the schedule with everyone on when their 4-hour shift would begin at the roadblocks. The two towers would only be manned during daylight hours. We had a lot of details to work out, but he had the shifts covered.

  After everything was set in motion, Mike and I picked up Jake, and we drove to both Charlie Smithson’s home and Blake’s. We gave them all the details, and we convinced Blake and his family and Charlie and his wife to stay at Jake’s for the next day or two.

  We had a couple of concerns. Orville had obviously been watching us, so we weren’t sure how much he knew about Blake and Charlie. If he knew we were all friends, he could hit them because they were isolated.

  Then there was always the chance that Orville would bring his people directly across the soybean field and go through the woods that bordered Jake’s farm. They could be at Jake’s before we all knew it. In case Orville decided on this type of attack, we had to have manpower at Jake's also. The manpower may not be trained combat veterans, but we needed anyone that could pull a trigger and slow an attack long enough until we could get there.

  We gave Blake and his family time to gather up some supplies and went and picked up Charlie and Martha and then Jim and Sarah to take to Jake’s. We picked up the trailer and took it to Blake’s and the kids loved the ride as they looked at it as a hay-less hayride. It was suggested that we could take Orville’s truck to haul everyone, but we dismissed that for two reasons.

  First and foremost, this truck had a terrible reputation in the area. We didn’t want to get shot at for mistaken identity. Second, we didn’t know the reliability of the truck and we didn’t want to get stranded.

  We were all set. That night, we had a working dinner, working out strategies for different attacks. Orville was manipulative but obviously didn’t have any military training. So, we were 90% sure he’d bring his army right down the road to the west intersection. He could throw us a monkey wrench though and split his forces or come the back way. There was also the chance he’d march them straight across the field to Jake’s or us. We had to be prepared for all possibilities.

  Next was when they’d hit us. Even though we had our guards posted, we didn’t figure the attack would come until the next day. He was going to come in force, so a night raid would probably be out. Also, unless he already had the attack planned out, he’d need time to gather his supporters. We guessed it would be the very next day. We figured that we’d made him mad enough, that he’d want his revenge as soon as possible.

  We prayed he’d be dumb enough to march right down the road and hit us at the West intersection. That would be the easiest walking for them, so there was a good chance. A mob, even being fired up, is usually going to take the path of least resistance. If that were the case, even if they had a seven or eight to one advantage in numbers, they wouldn’t stand a chance. We had the superior firepower, tactics, and we’d be fighting from fixed defensive positions and they’d be charging and fighting from open ground. There was always a possibility that they could come in so fast, that they’d overwhelm us but the fact that they wouldn’t be that organized reduced that chance greatly.

  We finally decided that we would wait until we were alerted to their attack and then we’d head to wherever the point of attack was, using the jeep and trailer. If we were lucky enough for it to be at the west intersection, there was an old, very large barn sitting right at the intersection, which had a loft. Mike, Mo and eventually Wit would be positioned in the loft. Mike with his sniper rifle, Mo with the M-16 and Wit would have the SAW machine gun.

  But, just in case they split their attack force, Wit and Blake would remain at the farm, with Wit’s motorcycle. If Orville sent a second force to the east intersection, Wit and Blake could hurry down there and back up the East guards with the SAW. But if we confirmed there was no split force, they’d run up to join us and Wit would take a position in the barn. We would’ve preferred to have the SAW already set up but not knowing Orville’s plan, made that impossible.

  Once we got alerted to an att
ack and left for a specific location, the ladies would continue patrolling the farm by horseback and manning the towers. Of course, Angela would be staying at the farm with Lulu.

  We had given the Akers and Jim Simpson our last four radios. Three for the Akers as Len, Phillip, and Harold would be manning the west roadblock when it was time for their shift and one for their house. Jim Simpson would have guard shift at the East roadblock, along with Jake and his son Ben.

  We considered nightly patrols, but we just didn’t have the manpower. Not having them would be a risk, but the night shift that normally would be listening to the shortwave would be outside considerably more. We did have the guard posts check in with the night watch every 30 minutes, though. Nothing elaborate; just a quick “Check One” and “Check Two.”

  We were as set as we could be, with the limited number of people we had. Now, it was up to Orville.

  Pine City:

  The four of them had made it back to town and were sitting in Orville’s “City Hall.”

  “I want to hit them and hit them hard first thing in the morning,” Orville yelled with rage in his voice. He was full of vengeance, “No one is going to treat me that way. Nobody. I’m going to kill them all.”

  “We should’ve just killed them while we were there,” Billy said.

  Avery in a raised voice said, “Are you crazy, Billy?” We’re lucky we’re not dead right now. There were a couple of times; I thought we were. They had a hidden sniper on us so any move on our part, we would’ve been dead. Plus, our weapons didn’t match up to theirs.”

  “You’re just a pussy,” Thatcher yelled, responding to Avery’s comment.

  “And you two are just idiots.”

  Orville slammed his fist down on the counter, “ENOUGH! Avery, I want you to go around town and let everyone know they are to meet here at 7:00 in the morning and I mean everybody. If they don’t have a gun, I don’t care if they have to carry clubs, but they better be here ready to fight.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this right away? They aren’t dumb, so they’re going to be ready for us. If we wait a little bit and hit them when they let their guard down, we’ll stand a better chance.”

  “NO! I want to hit them right away before they can prepare. We’ll hit them hard and fast. Anyway, once they see our numbers, they’ll probably surrender. We’ll even give them a chance to, but when they refuse, we’ll rush them.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, they….”

  “SHUT UP! We hit them in the morning. When you tell everyone to be here, if they refuse, shoot them on the spot. After that, the rest will know if they refuse, they’ll die instantly, but if they show up to fight, they’ll live and probably eat better for a while. Do I make myself clear?”

  Avery, Billy, and Thatcher said yes and grabbed more guns to go advise everyone.

  As Thatcher was walking out, Orville called him back.

  “I have a special job for you. If you can carry this out, you may just take all the wind out of their sails, and they won’t expect it’s coming from you. But I don’t want you to tell Billy. If he finds out, he’ll want to do it, and he’ll fail and just get both of you killed,” and he explained to Thatcher exactly what he wanted him to do.

  Chapter Thirty

  The sun had finally gone down, and all our planning was set. While everyone was making individual preparations, I had decided to talk to everyone individually.

  The guys were all cleaning their weapons, a routine that I’d seen countless times in the years past. We’d been through this before, but that was when we were younger men but now the years were catching up with us. We still had the knowledge, but our bodies were heavier and slower, and our skills weren’t as sharp as they once were.

  I asked where Mo, Angela, and Lulu were and someone said that they had already gone to bed.

  Tag laughed, “You notice we didn’t say sleep, didn’t you?”

  “I understand. I’ll talk to them in the morning.”

  We all talked about missions we’d been on years ago, and even though some of the jokes were still there, it was much more somber than it used to be.

  Mike was cleaning the AR-15, which we confiscated from the Lebowski boys. As I approached him, he looked up saying, “I don’t think those clowns ever cleaned or lubed this thing.”

  “Is it operational?”

  “Sure, after I put another hour of work into it,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Mike, I want you to know that you’ve done an outstanding job.”

  He looked at me with a humble smile, “Thanks! There is so much we could’ve done, though. We could’ve used trees to build a wall around the house and yard. We could have built barriers where the roadblocks are. We also……”

  I held up my hand to say stop. “It’s only been a short amount of time since all this started. Who would’ve known this was going to happen? I wish I would’ve bought the night vision I always planned to buy but never did. All we can do is work with what we have so far.

  I also want to tell you how proud I am of you. The life you’ve chosen is a life of sacrifice. This may sound corny, but you’ve picked a life where you defended those that couldn’t defend themselves. Being both a soldier and a police officer, you picked the two most underpaid professions in the world. It isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life, and you’ve done well. I know I don’t tell you enough, but I’m very proud of you.”

  Mike had a stunned look on his face. He was never much to show affection or his soft side, but I saw tears in his eyes, and he got up and gave me a hug.

  I then went to Paul, who was loading a cartridge belt with 30.30 rounds. I also noticed he’d been wiping it down. He looked up, “Hi Dad,” like it was just another day.

  “You seem chipper.”

  “Yeah, I am to a certain degree. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m worried and scared of course, but after prison, I just appreciate being free. Whether it lasts, is up to God, but I’m just going to take life day by day and with as much of a grain of salt as possible.”

  “So, you grabbed the 30.30 for your weapon?”

  “Yeah, it served me well while deer hunting, so I thought maybe it was my lucky rifle.”

  “You know, you’re going to piss off Carmen. She likes that rifle and that’s her gun of choice.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know…. She can have it…. I’m sorry.” He said nervously.

  “I’m just giving you a hard time. She does like it, but I’m giving her something else to use tomorrow,” I then changed the tone, talking very sincerely, “I wanted you to know that I think you’ve done well since your return. You’ve really busted ass with the work you’ve done. Oh, and you know the night that you arrived, and you had that big bump on your head from your collision? Wit told me he tried to give you some ibuprofen for it and you wouldn’t take it.”

  He smiled, “No, I don’t want to put any chemicals in my system anymore. I don’t care what it is. I never want to give up full control of my body again like I did when I was taking drugs.”

  “I want you to know I love you and I’m proud of you.”

  He stood, and I gave him a hug.

  Kim, Brandy, Mia, and Carmen were in the kitchen putting up dishes from dinner.

  I looked at Brandy, “Brandy, we haven’t really got to know each other that well but I wanted to tell you that you’ve done one hell of a job since you’ve been here. You’re a good nurse and a very good person, and I know Carmen loves you very much.”

  Her mouth dropped open, and she stuttered, “Thank you. I don’t know what to say, except you’re a good man. Thank you for all of this.” I just winked at her.

  I then walked over to Mia and gave her a hug.

  She smiled, “What’s that for?”

  “I just wanted to let you know that we love you. I don’t know why you wanted to hang out with us, but the day you came into our lives, you made us feel so much younger. For a long time, you’ve been a natural part of our life. You know, whe
n people used to see you with us, I know they assumed you were our daughter, but you’ve been so much more than an adoptive daughter. You’ve been a best friend and more. I just don’t know how to put it into words.”

  Mia started tearing up and then smiled and gave me a kiss, “You guys have been a very important part of my life. The day I met you guys, my life changed for the better. Why do you think I kept finding an excuse to come out here so much? I’ve never thought of you guys as adopted parents. You’re so much more to me. I love you guys so much.”

  I looked over, and Kim and Carmen were also tearing up and Kim gave me a sweet smile. When I made eye contact with Carmen, she broke out crying and ran out the back door. I looked at Kim and she immediately said, “Go.”

  When I walked to the sliding back door, she was standing on the patio, with her back to the door, staring at the stars. I walked through the door and shut it, “Carmen?”

  She stayed as she was, still staring at the stars. She then slowly turned, and the minute she made eye contact with me, she broke down crying even louder and came up and put her arms around me.

  “Vince, I’m scared.”

  “You’ll be ok, just keep your eyes….”

  She grabbed my shoulders and shoved me back a little where she could look me in the eyes.

  She stopped crying for the most part, “NO! I’m not scared for myself, …… I’m scared for you. You’re going to be in front of all this and if anything happens to you…” she then broke down crying again and hugged my neck.

  I continued to hug her for a couple of moments, then grabbed her shoulders and pulled away far enough where I could look her in the eyes.

  “Carmen, we just have to have faith. Faith that God will guide us and protect us. I don’t think anything is going to happen to me, but if it does, well, that’s something that I had to prepare for years ago. It doesn’t make it easy for the people you leave behind. Those are the people that feel like they’re crushed, but all we can do is trust in God and know he has a plan for all of us.