Resurrecting Home

by A. American

  I smiled and hugged her, kissed her forehead, and said, “Just in case.”

  The dogs started barking and the kids came stampeding around the house as well. Danny stood up. “Someone’s here.”

  “Must be Sarge and the guys,” I said as we all walked around the porch.

  Sure enough it was a Hummer pulling through the gate, Danny’s boat attached to the rear. Mike was in his usual perch, waving and blowing kisses to the girls like a parade queen.

  “Hey, fellers,” Sarge called out with a wave.

  “Hey, guys,” I replied. “How’s the camp?”

  “I guess they completed what they set out to do. We left to go get our crap from the river packed up.”

  “Cool, you guys just bringing the boat or are you staying?”

  “I reckon we’ll stay here. Livingston and Sheffield made it clear that our services aren’t needed anymore.”

  “Yeah, apparently they figured out the old man’s an ass,” Mike said.

  “Really, they don’t want you guys around?” Thad asked.

  “Ah, they’ll get over it. I don’t want to live at that damn armory anyway. You got a place around here we can use if this fire doesn’t burn us alive?” Sarge said.

  I looked at Danny. “What do you think?”

  He thought for a minute. “How about that one you guys found all the food in?”

  “That’d be a good one,” I said, then looked at Sarge. “You’ll like this place, it’s pretty cool.”

  “Good, where is it?”

  “I’ll ride a four-wheeler over, just follow me.”

  Sarge nodded and got back in the truck. “Danny, where you want this boat?”

  Pointing at an open spot in the pole barn he said, “Back it in over there.” Sarge nodded and started maneuvering the trailer around. Ted was behind him guiding it in. He got it in place on the first try and Ted quickly unhooked it from the truck, then they all got back in the Hummer.

  Jumping on one of the ATVs, I rode through the cut in the fence to get my picks. Getting them out of the house I rode out through the gate and the Hummer followed me.

  “Looks like a nice place,” Ted said.

  “It is, real nice house,” I replied.

  “What’s up with the windows?” Mike asked.

  “That’s one of the cool things here—they have some sort of security film on them.”

  “Why aren’t you guys staying here?” Sarge asked.

  “We only got into it recently, after we had already settled in.”

  Sarge held out his hand. “Key?”

  I pulled the picks from my back pocket. “Little harder than that.”

  “You gotta pick the lock?” Ted asked. I nodded and he held out his hand.

  “You pick locks?” I asked.

  “What do you think?”

  And, damn, did he. Ted was in the door in under two minutes. We opened the garage door and some of the windows in the house to air it out. Then we gathered in the garage.

  “Will this work?” I asked.

  “Yeah, this is great,” Mike said.

  “I think we can make it do,” Sarge said with a smile.

  “So what are you guys going to do for now?” I asked.

  “Before we unload anything, we need to think about this fire. Be a waste of time to unload just have to pack it up again,” Sarge said.

  “Supper’s around five thirty—let’s hash it out then. I don’t think we’ve got much time beyond that,” I said.

  “Good deal, we’ll be there.”

  When I got back the guys were unloading all of the guns from the camp. There was nearly every kind of gun imaginable: shotguns of all varieties, bolt-action rifles, semiautos, a slew of pistols, and a bunch of AR and AK variants. A nice double-barrel caught Thad’s eye.

  Holding the smoke pole up, he looked at it. “That’s nice. I like that.”

  “Take it,” Danny said.

  “Yeah, take it if you want it,” I added.

  “You sure?” Thad asked.

  Danny pointed at the pile of guns in the back of the truck waiting to be unloaded. “Yeah, Sarge made it clear that they’re ours for the keeping.”

  Thad smiled. “All right, good deal.”

  “How are the girls doing on that tractor?” I asked Thad.

  “Good, they’re naturals.”

  Just as I thought, the guns filled the closet in the downstairs bedroom, so much so that we actually had to pile the ammo up outside of it. Mel and Bobbie watched us as we made trip after trip through the house with guns and never said a word. Once the guns were all in the closet, they came into the room.

  “Do we even want to know where all that came from?” Mel asked.

  “We got them from the armory. Sarge gave them to us,” I replied.

  Bobbie walked up and looked in the closet. “That is a lot of guns, even for you guys.”

  I had to chuckle about that one. While neither of us had that many to begin with, everyone acted like we were forming a militia. None of us thought we had that many, but this—this was a lot of guns.

  “What in the world are you going to do with that many guns?” Mel asked.

  “Nothing for now, but you never know,” I replied.

  “Yeah, in this world, they’re worth more than money,” Danny added.

  “Damn right they are. We could probably get anything we wanted trading these off,” Thad said.

  “What are you going to do if we have to leave? You just loaded them in here, why not leave them in the truck?” Bobbie asked.

  “We’re hoping we don’t need to leave. Besides, I’d rather not drive a truckload of guns and ammo into an inferno,” I replied.

  “We’ve already been getting things ready to go,” Bobbie said, pointing to a pile of bags and assorted boxes.

  “I’ve done the same at our house,” Mel added.

  Looking at the stack of stuff by the door, I said, “Wow, didn’t even notice. You guys have been busy, then.” Looking back, I added, “But I hope it’s all for nothing. I’m really hoping you wasted your time.”

  Neither of the women looked convinced, but they didn’t say anything else about it. After everything we’d done, I was worn out. In the living room I fell onto the sofa.

  Thad smiled. “That’s a good idea, think I’ll go home and do the same.”

  “Cool, man, see you later,” I said. I passed out within minutes, only waking up when Lee Ann and Taylor came busting in. “It’s so hot out. We need a drink,” Taylor said.

  “How’d it go?” I asked, stretching and rubbing my eyes.

  “Good. We did it like Thad showed us. It wasn’t too bad,” Lee Ann replied.

  “Good deal, about time you girls started pulling your weight around here,” I said with a smile.

  “Hey! We do a lot,” Taylor said from the kitchen.

  “I’m just teasing.”

  “Better be,” Lee Ann said with a smile.

  It was getting close to dinnertime, and people started showing up. First was Brandy and Tyler with all the kids in tow.

  “Hi, Mom!” Little Bit said, coming in.

  Mel looked at her. “Have you had a bath?”

  “I washed them all up. They were filthy,” Brandy said with a smile. “Too much time playing in the mud.”

  “Thanks, I’m sure they needed it.”

  Thad soon arrived with Jess, Fred, Aric, and Jeff. The house was filling up quickly. Once Sarge and Mike arrived, the house sounded like a busy restaurant, all pots and pans clanging and chatter and laughter. With so many people it took nearly every dish in the house to feed everyone.

  Forming a line, everyone made a pass by the kitchen bar, where Mel and Bobbie dished out dinner, handing out plates and bowls as each person passed by.

  I sat at a table with Sarge, Mike, and Danny. As the sun started to go down the smoke was hanging closer to the ground, and the acrid smell permeated everything, actually affecting the taste of the meal.

  “So what�
�s your plan? Back at the camp, you had another idea for a place to try and turn this thing,” Sarge said.

  “I was thinking as I drove along the road to Alexander Springs, but I’ve been looking at the map and think I’ve found a better place,” I said.

  “Get on with it, then.”

  “Hang on.” I went and retrieved the maps I’d taken from the welcome center and unrolled it on the table. “Right here is a natural gas right-of-way. I think it would be a better spot,” I said, running my finger across the map, then pointing to a dark green area. “With Lake Dorr right here and this swamp here, they will be natural buffers to the fire. They’ll form a pocket.”

  “That swamp will likely slow the fire some,” Mike said.

  I nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. Not enough ground litter to fuel it as fast.”

  Mike ran his finger along the dotted line that indicated the pipeline. “Start the fire on this side. There isn’t a lot to burn on this side of the lake. It could burn around the other side, but then there’s this swamp to the east.”

  Sarge studied the map for a moment. “I think it’s our best bet. We’ll have to see what happens on the west of the highway, though. That could be a problem. It could burn all the way down through here.”

  Grabbing another map, I said, “I thought of that too—look here.” I ran my finger along a road and another hashed line. It cut a straight line east to west on the western side of Highway 19. “This is a forest road with a power line running down it.”

  “That’s a really wide-open stretch of sand there, fire’d have a hard time crossing that,” Danny said.

  “How wide is it?” Mike asked.

  “Couple hundred yards and it’s mostly sand, only a little brush,” Danny replied.

  Sarge shook his head. “First thing in the morning we need to go check this out. If Mikey thinks it will work, we’ll give it a try, but everyone needs to be ready to go just in case.”

  Tyler and Brandy watched and listened as we talked. “You think it will work?” Tyler asked.

  “It’s our only play—it’s that or run. Even if it does jump this line, we’ll still have time to get out of the way,” Sarge replied.

  “Where will we go?” Brandy asked.

  “We need a rally point, somewhere safe everyone can get to quickly. Once we see where the fire’s headed we can decide where to go from there,” Mike said.

  “How about the sod farm? It’s a couple hundred acres of open grass land, no brush of any kind,” Danny asked.

  “That would work. Where is it?” Mike asked.

  “Just across the road there. We could walk to it,” I replied.

  “All right, sod farm it is. If it jumps the line we’ll call on the radio and let everyone here know, and we’ll meet them there,” Sarge said.

  “Someone’s going to have to man the radio, then,” Tyler added.

  Sarge nodded. “All day, keep someone in front of it. Let’s finish supper and get some rest. I think we’re going to need it tomorrow.”

  While we were eating, Sarge’s radio crackled. Ted’s voice came through.

  “What’s up, Teddy?”

  “There’s a Dylan here looking for Morgan.”

  “Tell him to let him through. I’ll ride down there and see what’s up,” I said, getting up from the table.

  “I’ll go with you,” Thad said, taking his plate into the kitchen and setting it in the sink.

  “Where are you going?” Mel asked. “I mean, really, Morg? We haven’t seen you all day.”

  “Duty calls. Someone’s at the barricade,” I said.

  “Don’t go running off anywhere . . . It’s dark.”

  I smiled and kissed her. “I’m not. Just going to go see what he wants.”

  Thad and I went out and used two ATVs to run down to the end of the road. Dylan was talking with Ted and Doc when we pulled up.

  “What’s up, Dylan?” I asked as I stepped off the ATV.

  “Hey, Morgan, I hate to bother you folks. I followed the dogs back.”

  I waved off his apology. “Don’t worry about it, man. What’s up?”

  “Have you guys seen anyone around lately? Anyone come by here?”

  “A couple people. We had a group stop by a few days ago, with an old man who acted like their leader. They had a big old truck with a bunch of kids on the back of it.”

  “Yeah, the old guy, that’s probably him.”

  “He come around to your place?” Thad asked.

  “Yeah, him and two younger men. The younger guys are the ones that’s really bothering me. They keep making dirty comments about Gena and it’s starting to piss me off. If it was just him that’d be one thing, but there’s always two or three of them when they come.”

  “Why are they coming over? I mean, why do they keep coming back?” I asked.

  “You know Gena’s a sweet soul. She gave them some food the first time they showed up. They had some of the kids with them and she felt sorry for them. Now they come nearly every day wanting more and more. I wouldn’t bother you but I’m afraid things are about to get dangerous. They’ve made it pretty clear they need more women, as they put it.”

  Looking at Ted, I said, “I think we can help. Don’t you think so? Let’s call Sarge up here.”

  Ted nodded and called Sarge on the radio. It wasn’t long before the Hummer pulled up with Sarge and Mike.

  I introduced the other guys to Dylan and they all shook hands. “What can we do for you?” Sarge asked.

  I relayed Dylan’s story to him, adding in the confrontation we had with the same people. When I finished the details, he stroked his chin. “Sounds like a bunch of troublemakers. The types we don’t need around here. I think we can help you.”

  “I sure would appreciate it. How can I let you know when they show up?”

  “Oh, you won’t have to do that, we’ll just be there,” Sarge replied.

  “Yeah, we’ll just post up over there,” Ted replied, then looked at me. “You’ve got enough people here to keep an eye on your place, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, we can cover things here.”

  Dylan was looking at the men and the Hummer, eyes narrowed. Finally he had to ask, “Who are you guys?”

  “We’re just some friends of these guys,” Sarge replied.

  Dylan looked at the Hummer. “Damn. Sure wish I had friends like you guys.”

  Sarge smiled. “You do now.”

  “What kind of guns do you have?” Ted asked.

  Dylan pointed to the revolver on his hip. “I’ve got this and a shotgun.”

  “Oh shit, that’s all?” I asked.

  “Yeah, just never really was into guns before. Wish I had been now.”

  “I’ll be right back,” I said as I hopped back on the ATV and headed for the house.

  Danny met me on the porch. “What’s up?”

  “Remember that group that came up in here the other night?” Danny nodded. “They’re giving Dylan and Gena some trouble.”

  “I figured we’d see them again,” Danny said.

  “Yeah, and Dylan doesn’t have much in the way of guns either. He’s afraid they’ve got the idea in their heads to try something with Gena. Let’s go get them some hardware,” I said, going into the house.

  We stood in front of the closet, looking in. “What should we give him?” Danny asked.

  “I guess a rifle or two and a couple of handguns.”

  “Let’s give them two of the same,” Danny said. Reaching into the closet, he picked up two AKs. He sorted through the pistols and came up with a couple of Smith and Wesson M&Ps in 9mm.

  While he was getting the guns out I went through the piles of ammo and mags, getting a couple for the pistols—two each—and a half dozen AK mags. We put the ammo and mags in a pillowcase and headed back out.

  “I’ll come with you,” he said as we passed through the living room.

  “What’s going on?” Mel asked.

  “Just giving some guns to someone
who needs them.”

  “Don’t get into anything tonight,” she half pleaded.

  I turned around. “I’m not going anywhere,” I said and smiled.

  “You better not.”

  Danny and I hurried back down to the barricade. I handed the pillowcase to Dylan. “Here, take this with you.”

  Dylan looked in the bag, then at me. “What’s this?”

  “You need more firepower. Take these too,” Danny said, holding up the rifles.

  “You know how to use those?” Sarge asked.

  Dylan took one of the rifles. “Yeah, it’s been a long time, but I remember.”

  “Good, hop into the truck and we’ll give you a ride to your place,” Sarge said.

  “You want me to go?” Ted asked.

  Sarge shook his head. “Nah, me and Mikey will go. You guys need to get some food in you.”

  “Ted, you guys go back. Me and Danny will stay here,” I said.

  “Are you guys going to stay at our place?” Dylan asked.

  “We sure are. You and your missus can get some sleep tonight. We’ll keep an eye on things for you,” Sarge replied.

  “I appreciate that, but our place is small—”

  Sarge cut him off. “We’re not going to be inside. We’ll stay in the truck. You don’t have to worry about us.” The old man had a glint in his eye.

  “I don’t know what to say—thank you, though. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in days,” Dylan replied.

  “Well, let’s get going, then,” Sarge said, clapping his hands. “You guys can catch some Zs and we’ll catch some predators.”

  Sarge gave us a wave as he maneuvered through the barricade.

  “You guys run down to the house and get something to eat. Tell Bobbie and Mel we’re going to stay down here and get someone set up to relieve us later,” Danny said.

  “Will do. I’m hungry,” Doc said.

  Ted got on the ATV, telling Doc to get on the back. When Doc got on, Ted turned his head. “Hold on tight, darlin’.”

  “Just drive. I’m not going to hug you no matter how bad you want it,” Doc replied, making Ted laugh.

  Once everyone was gone, it was eerily quiet. The smoke was getting worse, burning my eyes and throat. I pulled a bandanna out of my vest, then a canteen. After pouring some water on the bandanna, I wrapped it around my face, looking for some relief.