“From here on out, the largest factor in survival will be to avoid other people, but all estimates have people trying to flee the cities spreading it all over the rest of the country in a relatively short time. So far, the virus is killing 87% of its victims.”
The room was silent. Rob stood and took over. “As many of you know, we had an incident this morning with a couple of locals. They were armed and wouldn’t leave. It was dealt with quickly once it was clear that they intended to be trouble now and in the future. “
Rob allowed a moment for it to sink in before continuing. “It’s time for me to brief you a little more about our mission before we go further. As you know, the government has been ineffective to the point of paralysis for years now because of ideological partisan infighting. We knew this biological attack was coming and could have shut it down. The political leadership tried to prevent the preparations we were able to make at DoD, even while they stockpiled for themselves. Fortunately, we were able to work around them by following the letter of their instructions and not the intent.
“The Department of Defense leadership developed a covert plan in case of this situation. Hundreds of small groups, just like this one, have gone to ground in rural areas all over the country. Our instructions are to dig in and wait for the vaccine. Once it’s developed, we will be distributing it and reestablishing rule of law in our assigned areas. That means we will also be dealing with any local fools playing warlord.
“Military bases were locked down as of two weeks ago, so most should survive intact, if we’re lucky. There should be military support available when the time comes.
“For now, we’ll be functioning as a small village. Later we’ll be more like the Peace Corps, except with machine guns.”
“I’m in charge of the federal mission. Jim is in charge of the village.
“What I need everyone to understand is that there is a purpose to what you are doing. You will be ensuring the survival of the United States and we need all of you desperately.”
“The next step is to make sure everything is secured for an EMP. We can expect to get hit in the next day to two and a high atmosphere detonation is almost certain. Make sure that the cages are closed and that all of your electronics are shielded and off. All of the generators need to be unplugged and in their cages. We’ll leave news on in here on a small TV, but that's it. We’ll be monitoring radiation levels from here on out. Two long blasts of the air horn is your signal to get the hell into the shelter. Everyone got that?” Most nodded, but a few just looked shell shocked.
That night it snowed for hours, but the EMP didn’t hit until two days later.
DECEMBER 31st
It had been three days since the EMP took out all of the news stations. The group’s damage was mostly to some unshielded radios and vehicles, though Jim was startled that some of the unshielded vehicles would still start. All of the shielded electronics were fine. When Jim asked about this, Rob said, “We just plain got lucky. It was weak enough or far enough away to not fry everything.”
For some of the vehicles that were affected, Dave and Frank were able to replace solenoids and computers to get them working again. A few were now just rolling scrap heaps.
They had started dismantling the metal surrounding the RV ports, drilling out the rivets and carefully stacking the sheet metal in one of the empty storage containers for future use. It was a low priority job at this point and might take a few days.
Julio started teaching firearm safety and marksmanship classes using pellet guns at first then moving up to twenty-two rifles and pistols. It was a good starting place for the folks who didn’t have a background in shooting and a good review for those who did. The plan was to move on to combat shooting and squad tactics as soon as it was safe to do so.
Once students were cleared by Julio, they were given an AR 15 and a .40 caliber pistol unless they had their own firearms that they were more comfortable using.
Rob asked Jim to teach hand to hand and knife skills due to his background in teaching Japanese and Russian martial arts. It would take a few weeks of daily classes, but they would soon be able to combine the martial arts training with paint ball sessions to work on combat shooting while moving. The plan was to start paint ball teams once everyone had the basics down.
Rob insisted that his people stop in for advanced classes with Jim. The eye rolling stopped right after Dave was disarmed and tied into knots repeatedly. Rob just sat back and laughed as Jim tied Dave into a pretzel and said, “Pussy!” when Dave tapped out.
Projects continued as well. The solar power systems were set up for the pub, cabin, mobile home, and RVs. Security cameras running off of solar power charged batteries were placed to monitor the road and other approaches to the property. They broadcast the pictures which could then be picked up on a hand held monitor.
A “good enough” filtration system was set up so that they could pump pond water to a tank above the laundry/bathroom/ shower facility. After being run through a filter, a small amount of chlorine was added to the water to kill anything off and it was more than adequate to meet their cleaning requirements. The gray water was used for the plants and the sewage was sent into a septic tank.
A much better filtration system was in place to produce potable water, but there wasn’t the need for it yet. Rob delivered a stern warning about the need to preserve water and to limit showers to as short as possible. Everyone is going to be very happy for those hot tubs by the time we finish, thought Jim.
The pumps were installed to run pond water to a tank above the greenhouses, where Helen had set up an automatic watering system. They planted the greenhouses right away and started heating them as needed.
Water pumps were also in place to pump pond water up to a small artificial waterfall to help aerate the pond. Fishing at the pond was proving to be one of the most popular leisure activities among the men, even though it was catch and release unless you were planning to eat the fish that day.
The hydroponics shed was producing well. The pumps were run off of solar power and batteries and the lights were run off a small generator during the night. Already there was a fair crop of tomatoes; so many that they were going to have to start canning them soon.
Rita was enjoying cooking with all of the fresh vegetables. Jim had to admit that the meals were some of the best he had eaten anywhere. Here we are at the end of the world, and we're eating like we're in a five star restaurant, thought Jim. Something feels wrong about this.
A communications room was set up in a bedroom of the mobile home. A monitor for the security cameras was placed in there so it was easy to watch the monitor while monitoring for information. Communication with the outside world was limited to shortwave radio and Ham radio, and so far the reports were of chaos all over the country as supplies were running out and the virus was wreaking havoc. It was frightening.
No one felt like celebrating New Year’s Eve, so everyone was left to make their own dinners and use the time to unwind as they chose. It was just another night in the new world.
JANUARY 5th
This is the coolest stuff I’ve ever seen, thought Luke. It was his second week of classes with Uncle Jim and he was amazed by what he was learning.
“Human beings fight with weapons. You are human beings. If you’re going to fight and it’s real, you should be using a weapon. You need to have the understanding that your opponent is armed, even if you haven’t seen the weapon yet. You need to understand that he probably has a friend with him who is also armed, even if you haven’t spotted the friend yet.”
Jim waved Frank up and said “Punch.” Frank punched at full speed and somehow missed by centimeters then froze, feeling the point of the training blade stabbing into the skin above the carotid artery.
I never even saw the knife come out! This was nothing like what Luke thought it would be.
“Again.” This time Luke watched closer, and still missed it.
“Okay let me show you what I did. Very
slowly this time, Frank. “This time Luke could see Jim shift back and then to the side while his right hand drew the knife downward from where it was tucked into his belt.
“It’s upside down!”
“That’s it, Luke, the knife isn’t where you thought it was supposed to be so you didn’t even see the draw earlier. That’s an important lesson in itself. Okay, everyone. Practice slow and accurate. Be good to your training partner. Help each other to learn. This isn’t a competition. Play!”
After class, Luke asked Uncle Jim, “Why don’t the movies show this kind of thing?”
“Did you think about that question first?”
“Because the real thing is too hard to see?”
“And why would it be designed to be too hard to see?”
“Because it’s real and you win by not letting the bad guy be able to figure out what you’re doing!”
“I’d say that’s a good answer, don’t you think?”
“Thanks Uncle Jim!”
After class, Luke left the training room and ran to catch up with Julie and her hot friends. “Hey you guys!”
Helen looked back, “Uh, oh. Anybody hear a mosquito?”
Angie answered, “I thought it was a stink bug.”
Julie laughed and said, “It’s another kind of pest,” and grabbed Matt lightly in a headlock and started grinding her knuckles into the top of his head.
He tucked and turned his head, slipped out of her arm and tackled her at the legs. Next thing he knew he was pinned by all five of her friends who were tickling him mercilessly. He was in teenage boy heaven.
After a couple of minutes, Julie said, “Okay, pip squeak. That’s enough attention for one day. You go play with the boys before we put a dress on you.”
“No, not that.” He was up and out of there like a shot.
As soon as he was around the corner, Pia said, “He seemed awfully happy to see us.” They all laughed.
Julie said, “Don’t encourage him. I don’t want to be looking at my little brother pitching a tent every time any of you are around.”
“Oh he’s not that little,” said Samantha, and they all cracked up again.
Poor kid has no idea the teasing he’s in for, thought Julie. She almost felt sorry for him, but knew he would enjoy every minute of it.
The new girls were sharing the fifth wheel and the motor home that Helen and Julie had bought on the night of the lockdown and the youngest, Jamie, was staying with Julie and Helen. So far it was working, but Julie had a feeling that having the three in the fifth wheel wasn’t going to last. Too much togetherness wasn’t especially comfortable. Even so, they would all have to watch out for each other. And I’ll have to keep a close eye on all of them since I brought them in.
JANUARY 7th
“Well, that didn’t take long,” said Jim. The men were watching the security monitors where a truck with a couple of hunters pulled up to the end of the road to the ranch. The two hunters stopped to put on ghillie suits.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rob said. “These clowns are just asking for it. How about a warning shot?”
Frank said, “Good idea,” and Jim agreed as well.
Rob picked up the radio and said, “Okay for a warning shot.”
Will’s voice answered, “Copy that.”
A moment later, a tree to the left of the hunters took a .50 caliber round into a branch about 8 feet up, shattering it. Both of the men dropped to the ground and turned their rifles toward where they thought the shot came from. Both were still in Will’s scope.
After a few minutes they stood up, shouldered their rifles, and waved, before walking back to the truck and driving off.
Will said over the radio, “Not quite as stupid as they looked.”
Rob answered, “Nice shooting, Will. See you at lunch.”
“Sounds good, boss.”
The rest of the men talked in headquarters. Jim said, “Those ghillie suits bother me. Those are for people, not for hunting.”
“Yeah, but those ass clowns didn’t even know that you don’t drop flat when someone’s shooting from above,” added Frank. “That was amateur hour out there and they just got pulled off stage with a big hook.”
“We need a policy decision,” added Jim, “I would argue that the ghillie suits indicated hostile intent, but I don’t want to tie the hands of the watch. If Will had chosen to drop them, I would have been okay with that. In this case, I think he made the right decision. If they come back armed, I’m more than okay with removing them from the gene pool.” Rob nodded agreement.
“Look, you folks are professionals at this sort of thing,” Jim said, “I trust your judgment. I just don’t want the non-pros making that kind of decision without some kind of guidelines. We need to train them to be able to handle situations like this.
“We also need to have the ability to talk to whoever is down there without exposing ourselves to anything. Maybe stashing an intercom system? I don’t know. We can put up 'Lethal Force Beyond this Point' signs. There were too many people involved in putting up buildings and making deliveries to the properties. We’ll be remembered.
“We should have a quarantine building with a couple weeks’ supplies at the far edge of the property, too. If someone lasts 10 days without showing symptoms, they’re clean. I’m not looking to bring in people, but there may come a time that we need to, or we may need to quarantine one of ours.”
Rob answered, “We’ll do those things, but I won’t endanger the mission. It’s too important and we really don’t have a plan B, or even any kind of real timeline. It could be two years before we get a vaccine, then we’d need every bit of food we have for ourselves.
JANUARY 10th
Jim’s radio woke him in the early morning hours. Julio’s voice came across, “We have a single intruder on property. We have a single intruder on the north side.”
Rob’s voice answered, “Watch’s call.”
“Affirmative.”
Susan woke to Jim dressing in the dark. He told her, “We have an intruder. The watch is going to deal with him if need be. Get dressed and stay down.
Jim shouldered his crossbow, picked up his Beretta CX4 nine millimeter rifle and put his matching Beretta nine millimeter pistol in its holster on his right hip. He plugged the ear piece and microphone to the radio and broadcast, “Jim is up and out,” before stepping out into the night. He heard the click as Susan locked the RV behind him.
There was the faint sound of a shot through a silencer, and Julio’s voice whispered in his ear piece, “The intruder is down.”
Jim answered, “Roger that. Are we clear?”
Ann and Matt both answered affirmative. I’d forgotten Matt was on morning watch, Jim thought, grimacing. He hoped Matt wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger.
By this time, all of the adults were up, dressed in woodland camouflage, and heavily armed. They were all at their emergency stations.
Jim put on his facemask and started up the tractor with the smaller back hoe. He located the body, dug a six foot hole, and pushed the body into the hole with the bulldozer blade on the front of the tractor. He pushed all of the blood soaked dirt into the hole first, then filled in the rest of the grave and leveled the area.
Rob kept everyone up and watching for the next few hours, telling Jim, “I don’t expect any more issues right now, but it’s a good chance to practice, and I don’t want to waste it.”
“It’s not like anyone is going back to sleep anyway,” said Jim.
“One thing, we know people are getting hungry about now. That won’t be the last body we bury out there.”
“There's just something about killing other Americans that feels very wrong to me.”
Rob looked him over and said, "Don't worry about it, Jim. It gets a lot easier. And don't think for a second that anybody slipping into camp armed to the teeth in the middle of the night is going to hesitate to put a bullet between your eyes."
"I know, I know. But I don't
have to like it."
JANUARY 17th
This isn’t as much fun as it used to be, thought Luke as they progressed from basic marksmanship to combat shooting and tactics. They were going after people sized targets with paint balls in the woods, but the instructors were there shooting at them when they screwed up. Luke took a paint ball in the arm when he failed to look up when clearing an area. He had yet to hit any of the instructors. It’s creepy.
Classes with Uncle Jim were cool, but they were much more serious now. He got bruises from most the classes. Not that anyone was getting hurt, but some of the stuff sure did hurt. Uncle Jim talked about how your pain tolerance increases very quickly. Yeah, right! Good pain, my ass!
The classes would start with hand to hand, then knives and guns using the same concepts. He felt like he was training to be a SEAL or something. When he said that, his dad just laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world and told him, “This is preschool compared to what those guys do. But it’s still better than most soldiers ever get.”
What really sucked is that the adults had set up a track and a weight room and expected everyone who could to run and lift weights. The instructors would attack runners at times to get them used to surprise attacks. It’s like PE class except worse. At least in PE class no one leapt up at you with a training knife or a stick. But at least they set up the volleyball and basketball courts. They had also built a commons room that was used for everything from hand to hand classes to work space for various indoor projects.
The girls flirted with him all the time. Julie said it was because he was safe, because they couldn’t do anything with him. Matt said it was because they were teases. Either way, he liked it. And it frustrated the hell out of him.
My turn to move. He crept quietly through the woods. I can’t believe it! There’s Julio. I can get him! He carefully stalked his prey until he had the perfect position; he just needed to step out from behind the tree and… Shit! There was a knife point at his right jugular. That’s a real knife!
The Forgiven The Fallen The Forsaken Page 8