THE COLLAPSE: Seeking Refuge
Page 25
As everyone worked together to clear the pile, including the Kays, Stephen made a comment to Fish, “How are we going to signal to Mac that it is us? You know that he’s going to shoot at anything coming up the driveway.”
“Good question,” Fish answered. “He’s never seen my new truck, either.”
Carrie suggested, “Can’t we beep the horns or something? Make a lot of noise? Intruders wouldn’t intentionally bring attention to themselves like that. Maybe your friend would take a second look before shooting.”
“That might work,” Stephen surmised while nodding.
So, after the pile was cleared (which took longer than they had initially presumed), the two teams mounted back up and began the treacherous trek up the driveway. It was twilight, and the forest was nearly dark. The headlights would make the vehicles extra-easy to target.
“When should we start beeping?” Stephen yelled to Fish.
“Wait!” Fish suddenly shouted. “I have a better idea! Turn my CD player on to track seven!”
Tarra looked at Stephen, confused. Stephen shrugged his shoulders and entertained Fish’s idea and turned the entertainment system on. He switched the source to from 92.5 FM to CD and advanced the track to number seven.
A heavy bass beat dropped, then the artist yelled, “WHOO! Y’ALL GONNA MAKE ME LOSE MY MIND, UP IN HERE, UP IN HERE!”
It was “Party-Up” by DMX!
Fish shouted over the music, “Turn it all the way up!”
Stephen and Tarra both smiled at each other. They knew what the music meant. It was Fish and Mac’s favorite “drinking song” that they had listened to many times while chugging beers together.
Ox had said something over the radio, probably about the music, but the volume was too high and Fish’s sound system was too supreme. Stephen couldn’t understand a word of what Ox might have said.
But, the music worked, because in the shadowy distance ahead of the headlights’ glow, Mac, his wife and his son were all seen running toward the truck. Mac was grinning with his hands in the air, raising the roof to the beat of the music. One of his hands held an SKS carbine, so it was probably a good thing that Fish had come up with the musical idea at the last second!
Fish sang along with DMX as the Rudehouses approached, but Stephen couldn’t take another second of the outrageously loud music and turned it off.
“It’s about damn time you fools got here!” Mac shouted. Then he waved his arm up the driveway and said, “C’mon – pull your rigs up into the clearing and get the hell out of those trucks!”
After parking the vehicles, the weary travelers dismounted and met Mac and his family in the clearing next to his cabin. There was a fire already blazing away in the bonfire pit that Mac had built with brick and cinderblocks.
Mac studied the new arrivals in the firelight and mentioned to Stephen, “I see you brought some friends with you.”
At first, Stephen was worried about what Mac was going to say about the extra folks, but Mac sighed and clapped Stephen on the shoulder, saying, “Don’t worry, brother, I’m glad you did. That’s good. We can use the extra bodies for protection. Help keep this place secure, if ya know what I’m sayin’.”
“Protection?” Stephen asked, shocked. “I didn’t think anyone would be able to get through that gi-normous pile of crap you had at the gate.”
“Oh, it’s not the road that’s the problem,” Mac explained.
“Then what’s the problem?” Tarra asked, utterly baffled.
“Boats, Tarra, boats! All the damn boats!” Mac boomed. He shook his head in disgust and pointed at the Skagit River on the other side of the property.
It seems as though Fish and the Alexanders hadn’t quite found their perfect refuge…
yet...
THE END
*** If you are so inclined, please email any feedback regarding this novel to frank.a.kaminski@gmail.com. I’m a new author and any constructive criticism (or accolades) would be greatly appreciated! Oh, and please don’t forget to give me a review on Amazon.com! Thank you for reading!