“Let's take a break here,” he said. “We're going to arrive early anyway, if Cory's on time.”
“Okay,” Ann replied. “I could use a stretch anyway.” She got out of the ATV, stretched once and groaned with relief, and then grabbed the bottle of water from Ed's hand. Ed admired the scenery for a moment before turning to Ann.
“Have you noticed that everybody has changed?”
“What do you mean?” she replied.
“Well, for example, I've never heard Don apologize for anything in my life. And, he sure as hell never told me he loved me. I just think it's kinda strange. Maybe he's turned into a Democrat?”
“It's a good thing he's not here. If he heard you say that, he would probably shoot you. But I guess I see what you mean,” Ann said more seriously. “Mary zinged Don yesterday with that remark about him going alone. She seems to have become more assertive.”
“Yeah, and look at Bud. He hasn't even tried to crack a joke in days.”
“What about us? Have we changed?”
“I don't feel any different, but I’ve noticed that I'm probably thinking about things a little more deeply than I used to. I guess we all were on automatic pilot for years. Now, it seems like we have the time to think more about what's going on. Hell, between working, prepping, and everything else we did, I don't think I spent ten seconds thinking about much of anything.”
“Don't start now. You might break something.” Ann chuckled and continued, now more serious, “you do seem quieter than you used to be.”
“So do you.”
“Well, it’s not all that odd. How can you go through an end-of-the-world experience and not change?”
“I suppose. Well, let’s get going again. This deep thought stuff is giving me a headache.”
They got into the vehicle and continued to climb up the forest road. The foliage grew denser and shadows covered the road in spots. Bushes between the trees made the forest an impenetrable wall, and they couldn’t see two feet into the dense timberland.
“We’re almost to the place we got ambushed,” Ed commented.
“Yeah, well let’s not stop to celebrate. I just want to get to the trailhead and lay low until Cory shows up.”
“Go ahead and pull out the AR and rest it on the side of the ATV. I’m probably being paranoid, but let’s be careful. We can at least cover your side of the vehicle.”
“Good idea.” Ann deployed the AR as Ed removed the Glock 21 from his holster and set it on the divider between the seats. A few minutes later, they passed the site without incident, and the remainder of the journey was uneventful.
When they arrived at the junction of the forest road and the trailhead, Ed concealed the ATV behind bushes that lay directly across the forest road from the trailhead. They sat quietly and waited for Cory to arrive.
After a few minutes, Ed whispered, “we made a real mistake not finding the guy that ambushed us.”
“Why do you say that?” She was also whispering.
“Because we don’t know if the guy is dead or not. We really should have checked it out. For all we know, he might be waiting to ambush us again.”
“Well, that’s a pleasant thought. Could you keep that kind of thing to yourself?”
“Seriously, we have no idea if Bud even hit the guy, much less killed him. He could still be out here somewhere.”
They sat in silence for an hour before Cory appeared, walking and leading his horse, Missy. He looked disheveled and exhausted, his uniform wrinkled and filthy. Ed and Ann broke concealment and waved to him. He waved back feebly. They waited for him to come to their side of the road, and when he arrived, Ed shook his hand and said, “you look like you had a tough trip.”
“You don’t know the half of it. I pushed as hard as I could to get here on time. I got thrown off Missy once when she spooked at a raccoon.”
“You want to throw your gear in the back, and we can take you home? I checked on the map and we can get there in an hour and back to the ranch in about two.”
“Let’s go. I want to see my family.” Cory was clearly upset at the prospect of leaving his horse on the trail. He rubbed her nose and patted her flanks before sighing. His eyes welled up as he removed the saddle, slapped her rear, and walked over to the ATV.
“You can come back and get her,” Ann said, patting his arm gently.
“She’s been my horse for six years. I hope she’ll be okay until I get back.”
Ed helped Cory stow his saddle and bags in the back of the ATV and they departed. Cory sat in front with Ed, as Ann thought he needed more legroom. The road was much better for the remainder of the trip and they made great time, leaving the trail after fifteen miles. They entered the road leading to his subdivision. When they were about to turn, Ed noticed the entrance to the housing tract was blocked with a barricade and two armed men stood behind it.
“Do you know those guys?” Ed asked, as he rolled to a stop thirty feet from the obstacle.
“Yeah, they’re both on my block. Let me to talk to them.” Cory got out and went to the barricade, chatted with the men briefly and returned. “They’re guarding the neighborhood. Apparently, there have been some break-ins. But my family is fine. I can just walk from here. I honestly didn’t think you guys would show up. I can’t thank you enough.” He reached into the back seat of the ATV and hoisted the saddle and bags out of the vehicle and set them on the ground.
“Before you go, can we have a quick chat?”
“Whatever you want after what you did for me.”
“We told you we were preppers when we met on the trail. What we didn’t say is that we have running water, power, and a supply of food that will last over two years. We also have cattle, rabbits, chickens and a very large garden.”
“You really saw this coming?”
“We didn’t know for sure. But we prepared anyway. The point is that when you get home, you’re going to find out that there is no power, whatever water people have is running out, and nobody has much food. Life from now on is going to get a lot tougher, and eventually, a lot more violent.”
“What are people going to do?” He wore a look of real concern. Although Bud has described an EMP to him, he obviously hadn’t fully digested the gravity of the situation and what it met for surviving.
“We would like you and your family to join us,” Ann chimed in. “We have plenty of room and you would be much safer. We have plenty of weapons and ammo and we can defend ourselves and the ranch.”
“You think it’s going to get that bad?”
“Almost certainly. And if we’re wrong, you can always go home. But if we’re right, every passing day is going to be more dangerous to try to move.”
“I don’t think my wife would go for it,” he said, his expression one of doubt.
“She will go for it when it gets bad enough,” Ed replied. “By then, it may be too late.”
“We don’t want to impose or mooch off other people.”
“Believe me, you will all work. And, to tell the truth, we need more people to defend the ranch. People who can shoot and have survival skills. In other words, Cory, people like you. We are inviting your family because we are decent people. But, that’s not the only reason. It would be good for us as well.”
“Well, I have to talk to my wife about it,” he replied, still clearly doubting she would agree.
“You do that,” Bud replied. “Do you have an ATV?”
“Everyone in this town has an ATV. Sure, we have two of them.”
“Okay, in three days, should you decide to join us, meet us where we met today. We will be there between two and three o’clock in the afternoon. If you show up, we all go back to the ranch. But, remember, you can only bring a limited amount of stuff, so focus on food and water, and weapons and ammo.”
“Thanks for everything. I will try hard to convince her. I really appreciate everything you’ve done.”
“No problem. I hope we see you in three days.” Ed started the ATV and turne
d it around as Cory walked into the subdivision.
“What do you think? Will they join us?”
“Not a clue.”
They traveled back to the main road, and after a mile, again entered the forest. Mount Union lay off to the north, soaring to seventy-five hundred feet and dominating the landscape. They passed by stands of alligator juniper and desert willow, then as they gained altitude, the forest turned into fir and maple. Finally, after passing through stands of Douglas fir, they entered the high forest and were again surrounded by thick stands of Ponderosa Pine. Ed drove on the left side of the forest road to stay in the shade as much as possible.
They continued up the trail rock, riding for an hour in silence and admiring the scenery. They reached the apex of the road at six thousand five hundred feet and began to descend back toward the ranch. Ed was pondering how nice it was to be out in the fresh air and off the confining environment of the ranch. While he enjoyed the company, three days without any privacy was difficult. There is a certain sense of freedom being on an ATV, rolling down the trail surrounded by natural beauty, with the woman he loved next to him. He finally pulled to the side of the trail, got some water, and sat on a rock next to the ATV. Ann joined him and they both took in the scenery. Ed finally broke the silence, saying, “you know, we haven't made love since this started.”
“I know,” Ann replied. “That wasn’t lost on me, but we have been kind of busy.”
“Six days is a lifetime for us.”
“Well don't get any ideas now, cowboy. I'm not about to try to make love in an ATV or on a rock. Let's wait until we get home, take showers, have dinner, and then have an early bed.”
“Well we can do that, but you're gonna have to keep the noise down.”
“You're the one that does all the screaming,” she replied, giggling and patting his thigh. After they stood up to leave, Ed grabbed a handful of her firm butt, and said “you sure you don't want to do it here?”
“Not in your lifetime. Just be patient. We'll be home soon.” Ed gave her butt another meaningful squeeze before he went back to the ATV and got in.
“We're about to go by the ambush site again. Pull out the AR just in case.” Ann laid the rifle on the side of the ATV, pointed outward, and Ed again pulled his pistol out and rested it on the area between the seats. As they neared the ambush site, Ed pulled to the far left side of the forest road, away from the spot where the shooter had been during the ambush. He also brought the ATV up to speed, and they passed the site once again without incident. The remainder of the ride was uneventful, and they enjoyed the scenery as they made their way back to the ranch.
When they were a mile from the ranch gate, Ed pulled over and plucked the radio from its belt holder. He depressed the mic button and said, “Ed to O.P. Come in.”
“O.P. to Ed,” Mary replied, “How far out are you?”
“One mile.”
“Don will meet you at the gate.”
“Roger. Out.”
“Out.”
As they pulled up to the gate, they saw Don, AR in hand, opening the entrance. He waved them through saying, “let’s meet at the house. We can do a debrief there.” Ed nodded his agreement and parked in the barn. They then made their way to the porch where the rest of the group had assembled. Don locked the gate and approached after the rest of them sat at the picnic table.
“It went just as planned,” Ann said, once Don took his seat. “No problems at all. We met him at the trailhead, turned the horse lose, and drove to his house. We left him at the entrance.”
“Two men were guarding the access to the neighborhood. Apparently, there have been some break-ins in the community,” Ed added. “It looks like things are really starting to break down. It looked like a nice neighborhood.”
“Are they going to join us?” Mary asked.
“I don’t know,” Ann replied. “He said he had to discuss it with his wife.”
“You didn’t give them our location, did you?” Don asked.
“Of course not,” Ed replied. “If they want to join us, we told them to meet us at the trailhead in three days, between two and three o’clock. If they don’t show up, then we give up on them.”
“Any sign of the shooter on the forest road?”
“No, but I have to admit that it feels a little weird passing the site he shot from. I really wish we had confirmed he was down. I don’t like not knowing what happened to him. It’s an unneeded lose end.”
“Twenty-twenty hindsight,” Don replied. “We don’t know what might have happened if you tried to confirm he was down. I agree, in retrospect, it would have been better to check his status. But, now you know to do it in the future. That’s a valuable lesson.”
The group dispersed, each going off to continue their work. Kate and Mary were canning the last of the vegetables from the garden while Bud and Don finished installing the plywood reinforcements to the windows. Ed weeded what was left of the garden while Ann began preparing dinner. As the sun was beginning to set, they took turns showering and finally sat down to dinner.
Ann served the dinner family style and brought in a huge steaming hot crock of freshly made beef stew with garden vegetables. She also served a salad from the garden and freshly baked bread. Finally, she brought out apple pie and dinner was served.
They ate slowly, tired from the hard physical labor of the day, but enjoying the food. There were long periods of silence around the table as people quietly chewed the stew. When dinner was over, they all relaxed in their chairs.
“My God, that was delicious,” Bud said. “That’s the best stew I’ve ever had. What did you put in it?”
“Some fire-roasted pasilla peppers from the garden. It really enhances the flavor and gives it a little zing,” Ann replied. The rest of the group all echoed Bud’s compliment and they sat a few more moments in silence.
“How much frozen meat do we have left in the freezer?” Ed asked.
“I checked this morning,” Mary replied. “It looks as though we have enough frozen meat to last around forty days.
“It was a good thing I stocked up a couple days before the EMP,” Don said. “That was just a stroke of good fortune.”
“So, who is monitoring the O.P. tonight?” Ed asked. “I forgot to check the board in the center before we left.”
“I have it tonight,” Kate replied. “But I took a nap this morning, so I'm good to go.”
Kate and Mary noticed a few furtive glances being exchanged between Ann and Ed, before Ann announced, “We’re beat from the trip. I’m getting an early bed tonight.”
“Yeah, I’m bushed too. Good night everyone.” They left the room arm in arm.
“Looks like things are getting back to normal,” Kate grinned.
“Seems so,” Mary replied with a grin of her own.
“What are you guys talking about?” Bud asked. Don looked at the girls with a confused expression.
“I’m tired too,” Mary said, winking at Kate. “Come on Bud, it’s bedtime.” She took Bud’s hand and led him to the bedroom and closed the door behind them.
“What just happened?” Don asked Kate.
“Life just happened.”
“I guess we’re cleaning the kitchen.”
“Seems so.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Man on horseback at the gate,” Don’s radio squawked. “He’s armed with a shotgun and sidearm,” Bud continued, speaking from the operation center he currently staffed.
“I got it,” Don replied, grabbing his AR. He wore his Glock 21 as well, and his tactical vest held spare magazines for both weapons. He left the house with the AR at the low ready and approached the gate cautiously. When he got close enough, he recognized his neighbor, Ben, who had accompanied him to town to get groceries the day the EMP struck.
“Clear. It’s just my neighbor,” he said into the radio. “But get everyone in the house for now.”
“Copy that.”
“I’m bringing him to the house. Le
t the others know, in case somebody didn’t hear my message.” Don turned back toward the gate and said, “hi Ben.”
“Howdy, yourself.” Don opened the gate, allowing Ben to pass into the front yard of the house, then closed and locked it. “Just thought I’d check and see how you are.”
“We’re doing well. How about you?”
“I’m okay.”
“Come on up to the porch and sit a spell.” They walked to the porch and sat down in a comfortable silence. Ben was in his early seventies and had lost his wife the year before. While Ben and Don were not the best of friends, they had hunted together often, usually for deer and antelope. Don knew, from having worked on several projects with Ben, that he was exceptionally strong for his age and remarkably spry. Years of hard labor around his ranch had kept him in top condition. Shortly after his wife passed, he sold almost all his herd, keeping only a single bull and four cows. It was more a hobby than anything. Don also knew, from hunting with Ben, that he was a good tracker and generally hit what he shot at. In short, he was a hard-working, cheerful man who would make a great addition for the group. Don knew, at some point, he would invite him to join. However, he did not share all his prepping with Ben, just as he had not shared it with anyone outside the people now living on the ranch. Don wasn't sure how everyone would respond to including Ben in the group, and he hadn’t brought it up. He thought it was smarter to wait until they could actually meet him before proposing an invitation.
“Tell you the truth, I came to talk to you because I got something on my mind,” Ben said, glancing at Don.
“What's that?”
“Well,” he said slowly. “People are starting to come to my place looking for food and water. Up until now, I just told them I didn't have any, but it's breaking my heart seeing these hungry and thirsty people with kids.”
“Well you're fairly close to the main highway. About a half a mile closer than us; so I guess we can expect to see the same thing before too long. I’m sorry Ben, but you can’t start passing out food. Once the word gets out, you’ll be overrun.”
“I know,” he replied, staring at the ground between his feet.
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