“Yeah, I remember,” Nathan said as his laughter slowed. “It worked out a little better than I had hoped.”
“I bet,” Sean replied as they both started laughing again. They gathered their composure after a minute. It was good to laugh again. “You still remember how you made that?”
Nathan got serious really quick. “Yeah, what do you have in mind?”
“Can you make them any bigger? Do you have the supplies?” Sean asked with a serious face.
“I reckon. There are a few bags of fertilizer left over from last year. Dad likes to mix his own special blend of fertilizer, so I think there is a bag or two of pure aluminum nitrate. With the extra gun powder you guys procured from Duke’s, the propane tank from the grill and some gasoline, I’m guessing I can make quite a big boom. It will take some practice getting the mixture just right, though. If you don’t have just the right blend, all you get is a big fizzle. I’ve played around with the stuff a time or two as you remember, but I have never done anything big. How big are you talking?”
“Big,” Sean said with emphasis. “Big enough to blow a car up in the air. I was thinking about rigging up an IED in one of the extra fifty-gallon drums we have and burying it in the middle of the driveway, right in front of an obstacle or fence. If you get a large group or convoy show up, the person on watch could trigger it and take out the front vehicle before sounding the alarm. It should slow them down and get them thinking. It would help buy some time to get everyone evacuated. I would also like to make a smaller one and mount it horizontally about three feet off the ground, camouflaged near the road. Fill the front half with nails, etc., to take out ground forces. Are you feeling where I am going here?”
Nathan nodded somberly. “That would be pretty devastating. But I agree it would definitely slow them down and make them second-think their attack.”
“Alright, I’ll leave the details up to you, but I was thinking that we need some kind of obstacle that would stop a vehicle in its tracks in front of the big bomb. At the same time, this obstacle needs to be able to be moved somewhat easily so you can leave the farm with the tractor to scavenge if needed.” Nathan was nodding along as Sean spoke. “Ok then, the second thing I’d like is something I saw on a website called Firequest. I always meant to buy a couple, but I never did. Now we have to figure out a way to improvise one.
“I’m worried about the trail leading down to the LP/OP from the strip mine road. It’s getting beat down and I’m worried that if we get ambushed from the rear, they may see the path leading off the road and follow it. I have some old Vietnam-era trip wire that I carry in my pack for snaring. I’d like to put it to use for its intended purpose. This website had what looked like a large eye bolt which you could screw into a tree. It would hold a twelve-gauge shot shell and had a simple spring loaded mechanism which when tripped, would pull a stop pin and release the spring-loaded firing pin to strike the shot shell’s primer. It could be set up pointed at the individual tripping the mechanism, but with the kids around, I think we should have it pointed at the ground. It would give the watch in the LP/OP a nice loud ‘heads up.’”
“That sounds like a pretty good idea. That shouldn’t be hard to improvise.”
“Good. I figured as much. So how’s the truck coming? Any hope?”
Nathan set down the wrench he was holding and sighed. “Not yet. It’s a lot of work trying to bypass all the electronics. I don’t have spare ignition and starter parts, so I’m trying to rebuild them from scratch. To be honest, I’m winging it for the most part.”
Sean nodded, “Well, good luck. I’m going to go and get something to eat.”
“That sounds good. Save some for me. I’ll be down in a few.”
“Alright, I’ll see you in a few.” Sean left the garage and headed back towards the house. He hadn’t been looking forward to discussing leaving the farm with Maria. After what Nathan had told him, he was really, really not looking forward to it.
The next few hours went by quickly and Sean found himself sitting on watch in the LP/OP next to his wife. They had been sitting in silence for about a half-hour now and Sean was still trying to coordinate his thoughts in his head. He looked down at his silenced deer rifle in his hands, searching for the right words. “I’m sorry,” was all he said, breaking the silence.
Maria looked over at him without saying anything. She wasn’t sure what he was sorry for and waited for an explanation in case it was something other than his surprise announcement at the meeting. She had known the plan had always been to continue on to the retreat, but now that they were at the crossroads, she had hoped that they would just stay with the family. She had no way of knowing how her parents and brother were making out in Oregon, and this could end up being all the family she had left.
“I’m sorry about not speaking with you earlier about leaving and surprising you with it at the meeting. I just figured you knew we were leaving. I didn’t think it was a big deal or that you would be upset.”
“It is a big deal and yes, I was pissed,” she replied sincerely.
“I know. Nathan told me you looked pretty mad.” She looked back with a questioning look. “Come on babe. We both know you have no ability to hide it when you’re mad,” Sean said with a smile and a small nudge, trying to lighten the mood. It didn’t work.
Maria continued, “Apparently you didn’t notice.”
“I know babe, I’m sorry. It’s just... I’m really preoccupied and stressed out trying to get things running smoothly before we leave. Why didn’t you say something?”
Maria finally smiled and scooted closer to him on the wooden bench. “Because I know you are really preoccupied and stressed out.”
Sean was amazed at how unselfish she was being and how well she was handling the entire situation they were in. “I love you so much, baby.” He leaned over and gave her a kiss and then put his arm around her.
“Are you sure we can’t stay here?” she asked softly.
“I’m sure, babe. I think things are going to get bad around here before too long, living this close to two major cities. If we wait any longer, we may not be able to leave at all. I’m already worried about the trip up there. You have to know that we will be a lot safer at the retreat. And it’s not just about us anymore. We need a safe place to raise our son.” He referred to the baby as his son because he knew that is what she really wanted. “Why do you want to stay here so bad?”
Maria paused for a few seconds. “Family,” was all she said. Sean knew she was worried about her family back in Oregon.
“Babe, I’m sure your family is going to be fine. Don’t forget about the big talk I had with your mom the last time she was in town. She knows what to do.” Maria didn’t seem real convinced.
“It’s just that I’m comfortable here with your family. I know that surprises you to hear me say, but it’s true. I know you are going to be content up at the retreat with your friends, but I’m not sure if I will. I like Emily a lot, but it’s not like I’ve lived with her before. I’ve only met Caleb’s wife twice and Andrew’s girlfriend once. You need to realize that it’s different for girls to live together than guys.”
“I understand that, babe. I really do. But we don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, we do. We can stay here,” she pleaded.
Sean frowned and shook his head. “That’s not a choice I’m willing to make. I’m responsible as the man of the house to protect my family and that’s what I intend to do. I make no assumptions that it will be easy. But it’s something that we have to do.”
“I know, babe. I....” She was cut off by the sound of two short blasts of the alarm coming from the direction of the farm house.
Sean grabbed the 10 X 50 Nikon binoculars off the ledge and focused them in the direction of the road. There was a tree line in the way, preventing him from seeing all the way down to the road. “Babe, scan the lower half of the farm and make sure no one is approaching from the rear.” Sean turned to see her already looking that
direction. He handed her the binoculars and used the 4-16 X 50 Nikon scope on his rifle to watch the front yard between the farmhouse and the road. After a few minutes, he saw his dad and Uncle Lawrence walking down the drive towards the road with their Ar-15’s slung across their shoulders. “What the hell are they doing?” Sean nearly yelled.
“What’s going on?” Maria asked, obviously concerned.
“I don’t know. Dad and Uncle Lawrence are walking towards the road. Just keep scanning your sector.” Sean wanted so badly to run down there and see what was going on, but he couldn’t. There was no way he would leave his wife alone and he couldn’t leave the LP/OP unattended. The few minutes seemed to drag on for days, until he saw his cousin Jackson jogging up the tractor path towards the LP/OP. Sean had a hard time keeping his scope focused on the front yard with his cousin on his way with news. “Heads up, Babe. Jackson is going to be coming down the path in a few moments. Don’t shoot him,” Sean said sarcastically.
Maria chuckled, “I’ll try not to.”
Jackson quietly called out the challenge when he was a few yards away, “Flash.”
“Thunder,” Sean and Maria responded in unison. Jackson lifted the cover over the entrance and lowered himself down in. He had a smile on his face but didn’t say anything at first.
“Well?” Sean asked impatiently.
“Your ride is here,” Jackson said with a smile.
“What are you talking about?” Sean said, completely confused.
“Your buddies Randy and Brody just showed up in an old classic pickup,” he said with a smile.
“No frickin’ way!” Sean said in excitement. He turned to his wife with a huge smile to see her staring at the ground with a frown. Sean’s excitement simmered as he realized what this meant for Maria. She obviously knew that her chances of talking him out of leaving just took a devastating turn.
Jackson noticed the uncomfortable moment between them and spoke up. “I’m here to take over your watch.”
Sean grabbed his cousin affectionately by the shoulder. “Thanks, buddy,” he said, starting to realize that he was also going to miss his family a great deal. Jackson just winked at him and shuffled his way to the far corner of the LP/OP to allow room for Sean and Maria to gather their gear. Once outside, Sean re-covered the entryway with a door made from a framework of branches and covered in pine boughs. To help hide the LP/OP’s outline from prying eyes, they had recently cut down a small pine tree and dragged it over on top of the roof which had already been covered with eight inches of dirt and leaves. Sean slung his rifle over his shoulder and cradled his SU-16 as they made their way back to the farm. He was really excited and had to force himself to walk slowly so his wife’s short legs could keep up.
When they came around the back side of the farm house, they saw Randy and Brody sitting on the front bumper of an old classic Chevy pickup that had been rattle canned with olive drab paint except for the bumpers and wheels, which had the same treatment in flat black. There was a rudimentary black spray painted flag on each door and the hood. A small group of his relatives had formed, standing around them and talking. When Randy saw Sean coming around the corner, he stood up and bounded over, picking Sean’s six-foot-four, two hundred fifty pound frame up in the air in a tight bear hug. Sean thought his ribs would crack as he laughed. Next he gave Maria a huge hug, only slightly less rough. She giggled out loud. “Hey, Randy,” she said, clearly happy to see him. Brody gave them both hugs, as well, in greeting.
“Holy cow, guys!” Sean exclaimed. “I never expected this. Where’d you get the sweet ride?”
“What, you don’t recognize it?” Randy asked with a grin.
Sean looked closer at the truck. Except for the crude paint job, the body was impeccable. “Is that Damian’s truck?” Sean asked in amazement. Sean had only seen it once at a local car show a few years before, but it had left quite an impression on him. At that time it had been a bright candy apple red, completely restored from the ground up. He didn’t even know Damian still had it. Damian had a thing for flashy cars and was always driving something new, one of the benefits of living a life of wealth.
“Yup,” Brody answered. “You should have seen it when we convinced Damian we had to re-paint it. I swear he almost cried.”
Everyone laughed at that. “I bet,” Sean said. “I would’ve, too. That was a sweet ride. I like what you did with our reactive targets.” Years ago they had set up a shooting range at the retreat with over a dozen full-size IPSC targets made from AR500 steel. The guys had mounted them to the wooden side boards above the bed of the truck to provide full ballistic cover in the event of a firefight.
“What happened to your face?” Randy asked curiously, noticing the small cuts that speckled Sean’s face.
“Long story, buddy, best saved for another day.” Sean left it at that, not wanting to rehash the story in front of his family, so Randy shrugged and dropped it. “So, did everyone make it to the retreat safe and sound?”
“Yeah, everyone made it. Andrew and Vita got a late start and just showed up a couple days ago. They had a hell of a time getting up there,” Randy informed. “They got in two shootouts on the road and they had to abandon a wagon he was pulling with his bug out bags during the second shootout. He tried to go back for them but it was just too large of a group for him to engage without serious risk. Luckily they were only a day out and had just hoofed it through the night. That’s why we figured we’d head down and give you a ride. We weren’t sure if you knew how dangerous the major highways have gotten and didn’t want you guys to run into the same type of situation. We took back roads all the way here without much difficulty. We had to push some vehicles off the road from time to time, but the way back should be clear now.”
Sean was speechless. They had risked their lives to come and help the two of them get to the retreat safely. “I don’t even know what to say to you guys....”
“You don’t need to say anything,” Brody offered. “But we do have to get back on the road quickly to make it back by nightfall. We couldn’t figure out how to get the headlights to work. The bulbs are probably fried. Besides, Randy promised Emily we’d be back by nightfall. She made it clear if we are late and make her worry, we’ll have hell to pay.” He said the last with a grin and elbowed Randy teasingly in the ribs.
Sean looked at his wife and nodded to her in the unspoken question. She was stoic, but nodded back in support. “Alright then, let’s get packing. Brody, you can go ahead and back the truck up to my uncle’s house up there where our stuff is.” Sean turned his attention to his family members who were standing around. “Mom, and whoever else wants to help, can you please give Maria a hand packing up our gear? I’d like to take a walk around the farm with Nathan, Kenneth, Uncle Lawrence and my dad to see if Brody and Randy can make any suggestions to our security that I may have overlooked.”
“I’d be happy to help,” Sean’s mother said, albeit sadly. A couple others offered to help and they made their way back to Nathan’s place, Maria in tow.
Sean’s dad pulled him aside briefly. “Son, I really need to speak with you about this,” he said with a bit of urgency.
“Dad, I’ve made up my mind....”
“I know you have, son, and I agree with your decision. You have a responsibility to get your wife and unborn child to safety. I had been meaning to speak with you tonight. I discussed it with your mother last night and we really want you to take your sister with you.”
“Dad...,” Sean was speechless. This wasn’t what Sean had expected.
“Just like you need to do what’s best for your family, I need to do the same. Your older brother and sister have families and I realize that you guys can’t take us all in. But Allison has no future here with us and her relatives. Are you catching my drift?”
“Yeah, I’m following you, dad. The problem is I didn’t buy the food stores at the retreat, or much of anything else up there. I’ll talk to Randy and Brody about it, but I can’t make any p
romises on what they’ll decide or if they will want to make a decision without the rest of the retreat’s approval.”
“Well, if you won’t push the idea with them, then maybe I should speak with them” Sean’s dad said, irritated.
“Dad, that’s not what I’m saying! All I was saying is that if they both say no, then I’m voted down.”
“Then you make the case well and make sure they agree with you,” he said passionately. Brody was walking back from moving the truck up to Uncle Nathan’s and Sean waved him over, as well as Randy.
“I need to ask you guys a favor. My father and I would really like for me to take my sister Allison with us.” Brody and Randy looked at each other, unsure and uncomfortable with making that kind of decision without the group. “Before you guys say anything, I need to make the case why she would make a great addition to our team and not a liability. In all honesty, she can shoot really, really accurately. She may not have any tactical experience, but we have always jokingly called her Annie Oakley at the range. Since she was twelve, she has always given us a run for our money with handguns and open sight rifles. She is very strong and a hard worker. She has picked corn in the mornings before school for grandpa the last four years. She can carry a full sack of corn and I have personally seen her lift bales of hay into a wagon. She doesn’t ever complain and I put her level of integrity up there with my dad’s. And you guys know my dad. She knows how to cook and she has helped my mom with canning dozens of times.”
The two of them stood there with a compassionate smile but neither said anything. Sean wasn’t sure how to read them but could tell their wheels were turning.
“Pleeaaasse....” Sean heard his dad’s plea from behind him. “She has no future here among her relatives. We realize that you guys can’t take us all in, just like I’m sure your folks couldn’t come. But I’m begging you: please. I may have failed my family by not being more vocal and preparing more in advance. But I’m asking you: please. Please take our baby girl. At least I’ll know she’s safe.”
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