“Very good friend. We go way back.” He shook his head a few times and stared at the ground for a moment before saying, “give it to me from the top.” He pulled a notepad from his back pocket.
“A group of six young guys, dressed like gangbangers, broke out of the line at Walgreens. One of them shot the officer. I don’t know which because I was looking the other way. It was a single shot from a handgun. I am guessing nine millimeter from the sound of the shot, but I could be wrong. We returned fire. Then, Kate provided suppressing fire while I brought him back to the ATV. We came here immediately. That’s all I know.”
“How many witnesses were there?”
“I guess close to a hundred. But they scattered after the first shot. Most of them were facing the building, so I guess most saw the shooter.”
“You were firing your weapons, in town, with a crowd around?” He asked in disbelief.
“There was no choice. I’m a combat veteran of two wars. I am totally comfortable shooting in an urban environment, and I can assure you no bystanders were hit. I had to get him out of there, and there was no way to do it without suppressing fire. The shooters were in the doorway next to where he fell.”
“In normal times I would have to arrest you,” he said slowly. “But these are hardly normal times, so let me thank you for maybe saving my friend’s life.” He held out his hand and Don firmly shook it.
“This is the first time we’ve been to town since the EMP. Can you tell me what is going on?”
“I don’t even know where to start.” He took a deep breath and said, “it’s a mess. We have corpses piled up in the morgue, mostly from pacemaker failures, but some murders as well. People are using wheel barrels, horses, and even wagons to bring in the dead and sick. Doc says we have to get them buried fast or the next thing is going to be some sort of sickness from the rotting corpses. We are down to twenty-four officers. The rest didn’t or can’t report, so we are barely holding on at this point.
“Every night we’ve had looting and a lot of gunfire. We’re guarding key buildings as best we can, but we have no central dispatch, so we’re patrolling in the eight ATVs we have running. Basically, we go to where the gunfire is, but by the time we get there it’s usually over. People are just now starting to run out of food, and we’re seeing more break-ins, and a few cases of bad guys stealing groceries from anyone leaving the grocery stores. We have private guards at the grocery stores. But, the mayor ordered rationing so you can only get thirty dollars a day in food. People are starting to act up over the food limits, and we have seen a few incidents, yesterday and today, of the guards being overwhelmed by the crowds.”
Don noticed his face was drawn and lined with exhaustion. “When was the last time you slept?” Don asked.
“I’ve been taking naps on the couch in the waiting room whenever I can.” He paused and asked, “what’s your name?”
“Don.”
“I’m Paul.”
“Good to meet you.” He nodded back.
“Is the National Guard helping out?”
“They’ve been called up and are securing the armory. But only the younger single guys are reporting for duty. They’re supposed to help out with the burial details and patrols, but not until the armory is secure. And we have no idea when that’s going to happen. So, it’s just us for now.”
“What about the sheriff?”
“They are patrolling the county on horseback. But they’re in the same situation. A lot of them live in rural areas and can’t get in to report for duty.”
“Don,” Kate said between sobs. “Let’s get home. None of this sounds good.” Don was reluctant to give up on the only source of intelligence he had, but knew Kate was distraught.
“Paul,” he said. “I really have to get her home.”
“I understand.” The men shook hands again, and Don got into the vehicle. Kate was beginning to calm. Don snaked a hand across the ATV and held hers as they rode toward the ranch. They again detoured around stalled cars and saw the occasional group of people walking or standing in lines in front of stores.
“This whole thing just really hit home,” Kate said. “I can’t believe they shot that officer in cold blood. Who would do such a thing?”
“Drug addicts. He was standing between them and the fix they hadn’t had for a few days. People will do anything to survive, and getting drugs is a form of survival for those assholes.”
“Do you think we hit any of them?”
“I doubt it. They got inside pretty quickly. I’m sure they weren’t expecting anyone to return fire, and when we did, they were not interested in standing and fighting.”
They passed the city limits sign and were back on the highway. Don noticed that Kate was taking deep breaths, trying to overcome the adrenaline rush that she undoubtedly experienced. “You gonna be okay?”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to look rattled when we get to the ranch. There is no sense in creating panic or worry.”
“That’s my girl,” Don said as they stopped to open the gate, then parked the ATV in the barn.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The mood was somber after Kate and Don briefed the group on what happened during their trip to Prescott. The shooting of the police officer, and Don's description of the conversation at the hospital with the other officer, clearly affected the group's mood. While they all knew police officers got shot in the line of duty, the cold-bloodedness of the shooting, together with the description of the anarchy starting to take hold in town, was a very sobering and disturbing scenario.
Don and Kate related the incidents with a detached and dispassionate tone of voice. While neither wanted to alarm the others, they also had a responsibility to be honest and very clear about the state of affairs in town. At one point in the narrative, Don stopped to ask if there were any questions. The group remained mute, shaking their head in the negative, and Don fell silent.
“Do you think the officer survived?” asked Mary.
“I have no idea,” Don replied. “I certainly hope so.” Nobody spoke for a minute as each digested the story of the trip.
“Well at least you got the ammo,” Bud finally said.
“Well, we did get some, but I’d like to get a lot more than we have, just in case. We may have to make another run into town at some point.”
“It's too bad about not getting the medicine,” Mary said. “But I guess there really wasn't any chance, given the situation.”
“There was no way we could stick around the pharmacy with all those gangbangers inside. It would've been suicide to try to go in and get the medicines,” Kate said.
“Would you guys mind if we have a quick meeting so we can all get current on where things stand?” Don asked. Everyone nodded in the affirmative. “But before we start, I want to talk a little bit about our last meeting. I guess I was sort of bossy and domineering. I want to apologize for being so overbearing. I guess I felt a lot of pressure to get things moving, and didn't really stop to listen to what everybody had to say. I really would rather we tackled the issues and problems before us with more consensus, and less ordering people around. I was barking at you guys like General Patton or someone. Anyway, I just wanted to clear that up before we start.”
“I didn’t get that impression at all,” Ed said. “We see you as our leader and I don’t think anyone thought you were being bossy.”
“Me either,” Ann said.
After thinking for a moment, Don replied, “I was basically ordering you guys to do things you already knew had to be done. I wouldn’t want to be treated like that. And I am not the leader. We are all equals here. I am in charge of security and I do expect to be listened to carefully when that is the topic. The rest of it is not my expertise and I rely on you guys to handle that stuff.”
“I am not going to argue the point,” said Mary. “We all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we accept them. Whether you are the leader or not is a moot point. We are beyond having to work out stuff like that. We are a gro
up, a tribe, and a family. So, let’s just drop this and get on with the meeting.” She looked at the group with an expression of a mother scolding her favorite child, and the room fell silent.
“Let me start,” Bud said, after clearing his throat. “Power and water are fully operational. I also wired the hot water heater on a timer, so we now can shower between six and eight o’clock in the morning and the same hours in the evening. Everyone cheered, and Mary went over and kissed him full on the lips.
“I knew there was a reason I love you,” she said.
“Well, they will have to be Navy showers,” Bud said.
“Navy showers?” Kate asked.
“It’s only a 55-gallon heater. So, when you shower, you turn the water on, get wet, and then turn it off. After you lather up, you turn it back on and rinse. This saves a lot of water. If we don’t do it that way, there won’t be enough water for everyone to shower.”
“Better than no shower,” Kate shrugged.
“Or, we could double up,” Ann snickered.
“Okay. The standby generator is now off. I will check it each morning and run it as needed. But I don’t want it kicking in automatically and making noise at a time when we need to be quiet here,” Bud finished.
“Ann and I picked all but two weeks’ worth of vegetables from the garden. We’re going to start canning tomorrow,” Mary said, giving Don a mock salute. Don glared back at her for a moment, and then smiled.
“Nothing to report, sir!” Kate also saluted, and the room burst into laughter.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Don said, shaking his head sadly. “Is that it?” he asked the group. When no one replied, he added, “I want to talk a bit about security. Is that okay?” They all nodded, so Don continued. “What we saw in town today tells me we need to get this place hardened up. I want to start by reinforcing the interior walls of the house. We will need to install rollers by all the windows and then sandwich three sheets of plywood and mount them on the rollers so they can slide back and forth to cover the windows in case of attack. Each of them will need two gun ports cut in the plywood, so we can get maximum cover and still have clear firing angles.”
“I got that,” Bud said.
“Thanks,” Don replied. “I’ll help you with it. We can start tomorrow.”
“The garden is done for now, so I can help too,” Ed offered.
“I also want everyone to carry radios from now on. Please grab one from the chargers and a belt clip. We are on channel six, like always. I don’t want them used to chat. They are for emergencies only. To be clear, that means do not use them to ask somebody to come over and help you pick vegetables. Remember, other people have them too. We don’t want to advertise we’re here. Questions?”
“Do we have call signs?” Ed asked.
“I’ve thought about that,” Don replied. “I think we best keep things simple. Using our names is not good operational security, but I don’t want to get all military about what we’re doing. I speak that lingo, but you guys don’t. Remember, if we’re using the radios, that means we might be in an emergency situation. I don’t want stressed-out people trying to remember who is who. Let’s keep it simple for now.”
“Okay,” Ed shrugged, but he looked disappointed.
“I also want to harden the gate. No more coming and going freely like we did today. From now on, nobody comes through the gate without being identified. So, everyone must radio the ops center when they are five minutes out and let us know they are approaching the ranch.”
“What about the ops center?” Bud asked. “Do we now man that around the clock?”
“I don’t know,” Don admitted. “My gut tells me we should, but that is really hard with so few people and so much work to do. I guess, for now, we just have someone sleep in the cot at night, and check it every ten minutes during the day. I need to clear up my thinking on that in the long term, so give me a day to make a decision.”
“Sure.”
“My last item is about fighting positions. I’ve thought about this a lot, and there is no guarantee that we will have the luxury of getting to pre-assigned positions if we’re attacked. But, I want to have a plan anyway. So, before I leave tomorrow to meet Cory, I would like to run over the plan, get your input, and come up with the best way we can defend the ranch. I’m not going to tell you what my thoughts are. I want you to walk the property together and come up with a consensus of how we should approach it. When I get back, we can review it and see what we come up with.”
“Why don’t you let me go tomorrow? You’ve had enough adventure for a while,” Ed offered. “We need to share the risk. It can’t be one guy who always puts himself in harm’s way.”
“I thought we already discussed this?”
“No,” Ed replied. “You just said you were going to go. There was no discussion about it. Let’s discuss it now.”
“Okay,” Don replied reluctantly.
“You can’t treat us the way you used to treat Kate. You said yourself the best person for the job should do it. I think I’m the best person because the garden work is done, the livestock is taken care of, Cory knows me, and I have the free time. You just said there is a lot of security work to be done. So, you should stay and do that. I’ll go get Cory.”
Don looked at the group, apparently confused by the sudden departure from the plan. Bud walked to him, put a hand on his shoulder, and said, “we have all been shot at now. It isn’t like you’re the only one who knows what it’s like to be in combat. We all need to gain experience and knowledge as we go along. We can’t do that if you insist on being the one who does every dirty or dangerous job.”
“They’re right,” Ann said. “Let Ed and I go. I know you want to meet Cory before we invite him to join our group. But, the fact of the matter is we already know we need more people, and if things continue to go downhill, we’re going to need them fast. I would far rather you get this place ready for a fight that may come pretty soon.”
“I didn’t invite you along Ann,” Ed said.
“Don’t even go there.”
“I have to weigh in here,” Don said. “I take your point that everyone needs to pitch in. But, you need two people. We can’t risk someone getting injured and not being able to get back. And, nobody can drive and shoot at the same time. It has to be two people. So, either you take Ann, or you leave it to me.”
“You were going to go alone,” Mary chided.
Don ducked his head, took a deep breath, and said, “all right. I get it.”
“This is for the best,” Kate said. “Sooner or later you have to let go and allow all of us to step up. I love you Don, but you have to let us develop the kind of teamwork we need to have. If we don’t stop this now, you will have all of us sitting at the ranch for the next five years. That just won’t work.”
“I know. I just can’t stand the thought of one of you getting killed or badly injured. I really have come to love you all, and it’s hard for me to accept the idea of placing any of you at risk. I would rather die myself then have to deal with losing any of you.” Don spoke sincerely and the raw emotion of his words conveyed that he was almost in physical pain. Kate embraced him, looked directly into his eyes, and then kissed his cheek.
“Don’t worry Don,” Ed said. “I know the forest road as well as you do. It’s going to be fine. I’ll take Ann if it makes you feel better.”
“Okay, you guys win,” Don sighed. “Ed, I want you guys to leave with plenty of magazines for the ARs and Glocks. Take one of the .308s and ammo for it as well. Also, take a few MREs and plenty of water in case you get stranded.” Don paused, thinking for a bit, then added, “also, take along two sets of the night vision goggles and spare batteries in case you can’t get back before dark. And take one of the first responders medical kits. We’ll give you until 10:00 the following morning to get back, and then we’ll come looking. If you have a problem, hide in the forest on the side of the road and wait for us to come get you.”
“No
problem. We’ll load and leave by noon. That should give up plenty of time. We’ll hide the ATV when we get there and take cover in the forest opposite the trail so we can’t miss him when he enters the road.”
“Okay, I’m getting back to work,” Don said. “I’ll start hauling the plywood over to the side of the house. We can sandwich them together there and start installing the rollers.”
“I’ll give you a hand,” Bud replied.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ed and Ann sat in silence as they rode the half mile from the border of Don's ranch into the Prescott National Forest. They left around noon, calculating it would take two hours to arrive at the trailhead of the Black Canyon Recreational Trail where they were to meet Cory. They rode in silence as Ed pondered the events of the last several days. He recognized the group had changed. There was less laughter, less horsing around, and a more serious tone to the interactions they had with one another. Almost everything they discussed focused on work and what needed to be done to fully prepare the ranch to be ready for any eventuality. He thought it was rather sad, but recognized it was the new reality and was unlikely to change for quite some time. Ed wondered if things would ever get back to normal, if they would ever have the kind of lives they had before the EMP occurred. He was not normally a reflective man, or given to mood swings, or flights of fancy.
The scenery around them slowly began to change. The ranch sat at approximately five thousand feet of altitude and the trailhead at close to seven thousand. As they moved up the trail, climbing a slight incline, Ed noted that the scrub cedar and smaller pine trees had changed to the larger Ponderosa Pine that characterized the forest. The sun shone brightly and the sky was clear. It was a beautiful day, a typical high country Arizona day.
They wound up a series of switchbacks until the terrain leveled out and they started down the forest road toward the trailhead. After an hour, Ed pulled the ATV off to the side of the road and got out, first grabbing his AR. He plucked two bottles of water from the rear of the vehicle.
Prepper's Crucible (Omnibus, Volumes 1-3): A Post Apocalyptic Tale (Preppers Crucible) Page 12