As the town fathers were mulling over this potentially bad development, a runner came into the meeting with urgent news and a white woman in tow. The runner, a kid named Jared, explained that the crew at the roadblock stopped a woman who said that she had just escaped from the McDonnell farm. A group of about 250 men and women, including a black man named Delquan who claimed to be the leader, occupied the farm.
The woman was brought in and sat down on a chair in front of the group. Chief Krusk began the questioning.
“What’s your name miss, and how are you associated with the gang that attacked our town?”
“I’m Mary Smith-Baker, and until recently I was a slave to the group that attacked you today.” She tried to put on her best “wounded woman” look to convince her interrogator that she was indeed sincere.
Elaine continued, “I see, what can you tell me about this group, in particular this Delquan character?”
Mary though a few tears was in order, and she gave a hitch to her voice, “He is the leader, he used to be some campus activist at UW-Madison, where the majority of us are from. He convinced most of his followers that they should start raiding places to ensure the survival of the group. Most of us bought into the vision he described. After all, we wanted to survive. But then Delquan started issuing women to his most loyal followers, and I began to realize that I was nothing more than a slave. I was raped several times already by Delquan’s second in command, Mustafa.” She let out a few more tears and sobbed.
Mary continued to sob and cover her face with her hands. She thought a few more tears were in order, and then she would set the hook. One of the leaders at the table offered Mary a handkerchief, and she used it to dry her face and compose herself.
“When you repelled the attackers at your roadblock, Delquan thought that maybe they should leave the town alone and withdraw to other hunting grounds. It seemed that the fight went out of the rest of the group, after all, they had friends that died at your hands, and were at a loss about what to do next. In the confusion and arguing, I was able to escape and make it to the road block, and here I am.”
Mary sat back in her chair and let a few more tears slip down her face, “Please don’t hurt them at the farm. Most of them are just regular college students who fell under the spell of a charismatic leader, they did not want to harm anyone. They’re scared and hungry, perhaps you could negotiate a truce or something?”
This information confirmed my worst fears; the farm is the opposing group’s base, and the McDonnell family was dead. Also, they had young Zeke. Something about the woman’s story nagged me. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but her version of events didn’t add up in my mind. Her demeanor was also a bit off…I thought she was acting, but didn’t have enough evidence of it directly to accuse her.
This news regarding his son set him off. He rose from his seat and approached Mary casually. Once he got close enough; he seized the front of her blouse in his strong farmer’s hands and lifted her from the chair.
“Where is my son you bitch!”
“I..I…Don’t know sir, I know they have him, but I don’t know where they are keeping him.”
He dropped Mary back in her chair and turned to the Chief, “Let’s get over there right away and wipe these fuckers out! They have Zeke, and they are going to kill him if we don’t act now!”
Elaine was about to answer, but I waved her off. I collected my thoughts before responding, “Let’s be smart about this Jim, if what Mary says is true, we are dealing with a scared group of kids that will surrender without a fight. Perhaps they have already freed your son. I’ll sneak over there and observe a bit before we commit too many resources, after all, if this woman is to be believed, the group is in pretty bad shape and not looking for a fight.”
Elaine tried to change the subject, “Mary, I’m sure that you’re tired; I’m going to send someone to come and take care of you. Grink, escort Mary out and wait with her in the hall, have Mrs. Waller come and collect her directly.”
“Yes Ma’am.” He took Mary by the arm and exited the room. In a short time an older, friendly looking woman appeared in a simple cotton dress and was warmly greeted by Grink.
“Mary, meet Edna Waller, the local tailor. She will be taking care of you for the time being.”
Edna approached Mary and extended her hand, “I’m pleased to meet you Mary, you can call me Edna.”
Mary shook Edna’s hand, “Thank you for your hospitality, please, call me Mary.”
“Well, Mary, let’s get you over to my place so you can settle in.” Edna swept her arm towards the door and the two women left the room.
After the departure of Grink and Mary, the meeting broke up. Jim was not happy about waiting, but volunteered his other son, Sam to take me to the deer hide not too far from the McDonnell place so we could observe it from a safe distance. Sam arrived at 7:00pm, dressed in old style Army BDU’s with his face painted perfectly for maximum concealment. Simone lent her bike to the boy, and Mitch opened the front storage area of Thing 2 and removed a rifle case that was about three feet long and had the words “Big Mama” written on it. Inside the box was a bolt-action rifle with a heavy 18 inch barrel. At the muzzle, there was a large brake with a network of ports cut through it.
Mitch beamed proudly, “This, my friend, is Big Mama! I had it specially made by a guy out in Montana….it is guaranteed sub-minute of angle at 1000 yards. It has a five-round box magazine, and weighs about 14 pounds….super light for a rifle with these capabilities.”
Mitch affixed a large starlight scope to the weapon and ran through the capabilities of the glass. “Flick the switch here ad you will go from starlight to FLIR, allowing you to pick up heat signatures. I suggest you use this setting if you have to shoot it has much higher resolution. Anything under 500 yards and all you have to do are place the center dot on your target and squeeze. He smiled a devilish smile, “I wish I was going with you, I would love to see this baby in action.”
He then handed me a box magazine filled with .50 BMG rounds. The bullets had red painted tips with a silver stripe of paint where the red paint ended.
“These are armor piercing incendiary rounds, they’ll punch through an inch of steel at 1000 yards and then set fire to whatever they hit . God help the piece of equipment or person it strikes!”
I took the rifle and the bullets and stowed it on my bike, “Hopefully, we will just be taking a look, and not alerting anyone to our presence. We’ll be back by morning, so you and the others get some rest.”
I stepped close to Mitch, “Keep a close eye on this Mary woman, she and her story don’t match up. I smell a rat, or a spy.”
Mitch nodded and called Simone over for a private confab regarding my concerns. I gathered up my gear, mounted my bike, and headed out of town towards the river and the trailhead that would take us to the deer blind.
……. ……… ……….
Edna led Mary out of the police station and down the street to her home. While walking down the street, Edna kept up a commentary about the town and the recent happenings. It didn’t take much for Mary to gain a wealth of information regarding how many people were in town, but also the operations they were undertaking in order to protect the town from Delquan and the horde. This information included the improvised weapons and barriers that were being developed by a mad-scientist type named Mitch who just came into town with that large black woman and the man she had already met at the police station with Chief Krusk, Ben. When they arrived at Mrs. Waller’s home, she was led inside, only to be stopped by Edna’s Dachshund Tippy. Tippy sniffed Mary and snorted, then retreated to his bed in the kitchen, eyeing her suspiciously. Mary was then directed to the bathroom to freshen up while Edna gathered up her soiled clothes and provided her with some new ones from her daughter’s closet. As Mary showered, she thought about all of the good intelligence that she was getting for her man Delquan. She had a brief fantasy about being his top lady and replacing that bitch Aquanetta from that
position. She smiled and thought about her next move as she took her first shower in a week. When she finished, she found a simple cotton shift dress on the bed along with some fresh underwear. She dressed quickly and went downstairs, where Edna was preparing her a simple lunch consisting of some canned chicken and some pickles from Edna’s own personal root cellar. A freshly baked loaf of bread accompanied the simple meal along with a glass of warm tea. Mary inhaled the food as if she hadn’t eaten in days, which was partially true, the food supply at the farm were barely adequate, so food was rationed to stretch what little they had in the pantry.
After the meal Edna asked, “Mary, would you be a dear and help me prepare dinner for some of the workers?”
“Whatever I can do to help Edna, thanks for the delicious meal.”
“Wonderful, why don’t you come over here and pack what I make into this basket.”
The women worked side by side and in a short amount of time they had two baskets packed full of sandwiches and other fixings. Mary followed Edna out the back door where a large radio flyer wagon was waiting. Mary helped pack the wagon and took the handle and headed down the street towards the work areas. Mary was pleased to see some of the town’s defensive preparations and improvised weapons. Mary played the part of the grateful refugee, answering questions posed to her by the work group.
Once done with the meal distribution at the various stations, including the area where most of the town’s supplies appeared to be stocked, they headed back to Edna’s house for their dinner and bed. Mary planned on escaping the town that evening while Edna slept. In a brief time she gained some valuable intelligence about the town and its preparations, especially about their defensive capabilities. She swelled with pride at being able to bring Delquan this news, and fantasized about being top lady at the compound. She laughed to herself, “These bumpkins have no idea what’s going to hit them in a few days!”
After a simple dinner and a glass of moonshine that Edna was famous throughout the town for, they talked for a while about the happenings in the town and what skills Mary had to contribute as a new resident. Mary lied convincingly about her gardening skills and made happy noises about being a part of a community again. The truth was, she was great at growing marijuana, the only crop her parent’s thought was important. As Edna talked, Mary drew her plans of escape from the town.
Chapter 10
Sam and I rode to the trailhead through the paved streets of the town. I glanced over at my guide, Sam. He appeared to be about 14 or 15, powerfully built as years working on a diary farm will do to a young man. He had a concerned look on his face as he guided me through the streets of Cambridge and to the trailhead at the shore of the Fox River outside of town. As we approached the trailhead, he stopped his bike and looked me in the eye.
“Mister, I don’t know who you are or what you can do, but if we find my brother can you help him?”
I looked over at my young guide, “Sam, we’re going to work together and get him out of any jam he’s in. Let’s just get to the hide and check it out, ok?”
Sam nodded, and we made our way along the trail as the light faded, ending our first week on the road. We arrived at the hide just as darkness fell, and I set the rifle up and pointed it in the direction of the McDonnell’s farm. I switched on the scope, and as it warmed up, I began to see crystal clear infra-red images of people moving about the farm with purpose. The windows were lit with candles, giving off blooms of light in the high tech scope. The rangefinder estimated that we were exactly 435 yards from the front door of the homestead.
I scanned the perimeter of the farm and noticed that things were settling down for the night. Since electric lights became a thing of the past, as he sun faded, so did outside human activity. As I scanned further, I noticed what looked like a scarecrow sitting against a tree about 10 yards from the front door of the homestead not moving. The sight registered a large heat bloom emanating from the scarecrow, which led me to believe that it was a person, more than likely our missing Zeke. Since he was still giving off heat, I assumed that Zeke was still alive, but probably immobilized in some way. As I studied the still form further, another person approached them and splashed the seated figure with water from a bucket, causing a fit of writhing from the individual. I called Sam over to the scope and had him take a look at the captive. After a long look, he said excitedly, “That’s Zeke, I’m sure of it. I think he’s tied to the old time wagon wheel in front of the farm.” He was about to rise and run out to free his brother, but I restrained him.
“Wait, let’s think about this for a second. Is there any way we can get close to the farm without exposing ourselves?”
Sam thought for a moment and snapped his fingers, “There’s a drainage ditch that goes around this field and ends about 50 yards from where Zeke is, the only problem with that is about 20 yards of that is open ground with no cover at all. Behind Zeke is a wooded area that leads away from the farm. If I get to that after freeing Zeke, I’m sure we can lose anyone pursuing us and make our way back to town.”
I thought it over for a moment. Sam knew the land, could probably be a lot stealthier than me, and would more than likely be able to free his brother as a single rescuer. The plan, while risky, seemed sound, I decided to go with it.
”Sam, I’ll cover you from here with Big Mama.” I gave him a small IR flashlight out of my pocket, “Flash this twice in my direction when you have freed Zeke, and I’ll cover your escape.”
I gave him a small bolt cutter and heavy-duty wire snips I packed for the trip.
“Use these to free Zeke, they might have used more than a rope to secure your brother to the wheel.”
“Ben, I figure it will take me about 10 minutes to reach Zeke from here, a couple to free him, and we’ll be off. I’ll see you back at town!” Sam melted into the darkness and headed off to free his brother.
After about 15 minutes, I spied the two flashes from Sam, and watched him begin to free his brother from the wagon wheel. After a few more tense moments, it appeared that they were going to get away clean, but unfortunately; Mr. Murphy decided to show up and derail our plans.
Chapter 11
Sam crawled up out of the drainage ditch and quietly made his way across the open space, occasionally stopping to take advantage of a shadow and listen for signs of people or another activity. Thanks to his camouflage abilities, honed by years of bow hunting, he was virtually invisible to the untrained eye and quickly made his way into a position where he could see his brother. He flashed his IR light back in the direction of Ben to let him know he had made it and looked at his brother. Zeke appeared to be unconscious, with his head slumped against his chest, and his arms tied to different spokes of the wagon wheel above his head. Taking a final look each way, Sam made his way to his brother’s side, clamped his hand over his brother’s mouth and shook him gently to arouse him from his stupor.
Zeke’s eyes sprung open, and he grunted slightly. Once his eyes focused on his brother he relaxed, and Sam took his hand away from his mouth.
“You okay brother?” Zeke nodded his head. “We need to get out of here and warn the town, there are over 200 people here and they plan on attacking Cambridge soon. Ok, let’s get you untied and let's the heck out of here, we’ll head into the woods and double back to town.”
Sam began to work on his brother’s bonds and found that his captors had used a piece of old rope to tie him to the wheel. Thanking his lucky stars, Sam produced a pocketknife and cut his brother free. His brother rubbed his hands and flexed his legs to get some circulation going.
“Z, let’s get going before we’re found out.” Sam and Zeke turned toward the woods to make their escape from the farm.
Just as they were standing up, one of Mustafa’s guards, Ray-Ray, rounded the corner of the house. His eyes were not used to the deep darkness of the country thanks to being brought up in a well lit urban area, but his ears were working just fine and he heard the brothers in conversation. He stopped and squint
ed his eyes and saw the brothers begin to scurry away into the woods.
Ray-Ray yelled, “Stop you motherfuckers! Hey everybody, the kid is getting away!” Ray-Ray brought the baseball bat he was carrying up to his shoulder and began to chase the boys while his alarm aroused the camp. Several followers began to fan out as best they could in the darkness to re-capture their young prisoner. Delquan and Aquanetta were awakened by the cries and yells of their troops as they searched for the two boys, a fact that was not lost on Ben looking at the commotion from 425 yards away through his high-tech scope. Aquanetta lit the white gas lamp at the side of the bed and made her way downstairs to yell instructions to the searching troops. It was not as if Aquanetta was a master tactician; she just liked to yell and feel important.
Just as she made her way out onto the porch with the lantern held in front of her, I decided to intervene and spread further chaos to assist the brothers in their escape. I lined up the scope on the brightest spot of light I could find and took the slack out of the trigger of the massive rifle. The rifle boomed, and I felt as if he was moved a few feet backward from the recoil as a 750-grain incendiary and armor piercing bullet flew towards the lantern in Aquanetta’s hand. At 425 yards, the bullet struck the lantern in a split second, destroying it utterly in Aquanetta’s hand. Aquanetta burst into flames when the white gas vaporized and ignited in a cloud around her, setting her cotton nightgown ablaze in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately for Aquanetta, she had never heard of stop, drop, and roll, so she ran around the front yard burning like a giant torch until she succumbed to her injuries.
Lights out in America's Dairyland: An EMP Adventure Page 9