by Annie Berdel
Doc walked around the back of the truck and pulled the tarp back. The gnarled teeth of the wolf were extended out from its jaw. “That’s odd” Doc thought. He continued to pull back the tarp until the entire length of the wolf was exposed. “Damn” Doc muttered under his breath. Running his hands along the belly, Doc knew. This wolf was nursing. Doc turned and looked out beyond his barn towards Emma’s farm. Those cubs were in the woods behind Emma’s house somewhere and would be getting hungry without Momma there to feed them. Depending on how far the female traveled, the cubs could be anywhere between there and town. Tilting his hat back, he continued to examine the female until his hands brushed over a lump beneath her fur. If it was what he thought, he needed to get her under a knife and in for a biopsy as soon as possible. Giving a quick whistle, Doc waited for a couple of his employees to help him get the wolf into his examining room.
6
Once Tommy and Emma made sure all was OK at the farm, Tommy threw the chainsaw into the back of his truck with extra gas cans. Emma loaded the back of her truck with medical supplies, her prepper bag and some bottled water and they both headed off to town in separate vehicles. The storm last night was rough, a little too rough and they both wanted to check on some friends in town. No matter how much you talk to people about being prepared, they found that there were still some who just refused to listen and take action. “Those crazy preppers” they would jokingly call them. They weren’t always laughing so hard though when they needed to be rescued.
Emma watched as Tommy continued on down the road, but wanting to check on her aunt and uncle, Emma turned her truck onto the dirt road before she reached town. Having time to think about the past couple days, specifically last night, she finally let out a sigh of relief. “Fucking wolves” she muttered under her breath. She had seen a steady increase in their numbers lately. The calls coming in to the dispatch along with the chatter down at the post had given her cause to be concerned. Well, there’s one less on this planet she thought as she turned into her aunt and uncle’s grass-covered driveway.
Emma stepped out of her truck and quickly realized she must have parked the vehicle by a beehive. Calmly and slowly walking towards the house, she knew if she gave them no reason to attack, they wouldn’t. They just wanted to eat and make honey! It gave her pause to think, though: beehives for self-defense of your property. Strategically placed outside your home, could it be used for fortification? She had heard of woven bee skeps during her studies in school where medieval soldiers would throw hives over the castle walls during an invasion. People also used to throw beehives into stagecoaches during robbery attempts back in the Wild West. She would have to dig more into this when she returned home later, as it brought a smile to her face to think about hiding supplies such as an extra firearm and ammo in a hive itself! Which reminded her, she probably needed to lay in some more supplies of Benadryl if this panned out as she thought it might. Giving a chuckle, she would also have to make sure her chickens couldn’t get into them, as the cluckers would quickly have an easy snack.
Turning the corner of the house to the back yard, Blu, the resident Chow dog came out to meet her. If you have never seen a Chow, you are in for a real treat. Blu looked like a big, furry teddy bear. As she proceeded to greet Emma, it was quite obvious how she got her name. Blu had a blue tongue. Maybe more of a violet color but with such a strong strain of blue that Uncle Randy decided to name her Blu. It is one of the traits of their breed and one that makes them quite valuable.
Blu had been with the family for quite some time. She had birthed many a fine pup and was now spending her retirement years roaming the property and occasionally being an early warning system. I say occasionally only because Blu also liked to sun herself on the patio and had been known to enjoy herself so much that she has been photographed with a squirrel perched directly above her.
As Emma was stooping to give Blu a fine rub behind the ears, she heard the melodic singing coming from the kitchen window. Her Aunt Amy was canning some of her famous bean soup and keeping her vocal cords strong at the same time…
“Did you hear that lonesome whippoorwill ~ He sounds to blue to cry ~ That midnight train is winding low ~ I’m so lonesome I could cry” Amy sang out, stretching out certain words like salt water taffy being pulled. Amy sang bluegrass on the radio when she was a teenager. She sang with the likes of Hank Williams and the Osborne Brothers. It was a part of her soul and something she handed down to her niece.
Growing up, Emma used to sit around and listen to her aunt, her dad and her grandfather pick the strings of their guitars and belt out a good ballad. There was not much better than the blended voices of family singing. It was a natural intertwining of melodiousness that could never be replicated. Weekends were spent with family friends showing up with banjos, mandolins, fiddles and occasionally a standing bass and music being shared long into the night. And you can’t have good music without good food. No one ever starved at these gatherings, as some of the best cooks in the world brought forth their creations to show off. At one such event, Emma was introduced to coconut cream pie that had whipped cream piled so high it looked like it belonged on the top of the Rocky Mountains. One could lose themselves in its deliciousness and have to be rescued before the entire pie was devoured.
It was also at one of these shin-digs that a young man named Scott brought over his drum set to play with the older folks. While being the star drummer in the local high school band was one thing, playing bluegrass was a whole different ball game, but Scott soon caught on. Scott also caught the need to further a relationship with Emma. They had known each other in school but only by passing in the hall-ways. Now Scott was spending most week-ends at her house playing music and their relationship blossomed. A deep friendship developed, unfortunately minus the spark of lust even with all the adult intervention. Scott ended up graduating and going off to veterinary school only to return to his roots years later.
Emma turned her face to the sun and felt the warmth dig down deep into her soul. It was no wonder Blu enjoyed sunbathing so much. Emma stood and walked into the kitchen as her aunt was pulling jars from the canner. She gingerly set them down onto the towel covering the counter and turned to give her niece a hug.
“Hey sweetie, how’s things today?” Amy asked “Good, good” Emma answered.
“Oh really? Cuz I’m not feeling that vibe from you, little one” Amy said.
“Just checking on some folks after the storm. I heard the power was out for a few because some trees were knocked down so Tommy brought the chain saw in town to see if we could help. Wanted to stop and check on you and Unk before I headed in,” Emma replied
“No worries here. You know how we are. But it’s still nice that you stopped in! Before you leave, I’m going to pack you with some soup though. Folks might need it in town and I’ve got plenty canned already today. Plus… your Auntie wants to get outside in the sun and if I have to finish this, I will never make it outside before she sets”
“Yes ma’am!” Emma snickered. “Hey, have you seen any wolves around here lately?”
“Blu’s been a bit restless at night. She’s been making her presence known and keeping the neighbors awake but I don’t know if its wolves or not. Why?” Amy said with a lift of her brow. She picked up on the hidden message and felt a little uneasy. Wolves could do a lot of damage on a homestead. She’d seen entire chicken flocks wiped out within minutes.
“Shit” Amy barked, “You need to spill the beans, and fast”
Emma shuffled her feet while looking down at the floor. Her hands deep in her pockets with her elbows locked tight, it brought her shoulders up to her ears. Amy flashed back to when Emma was a little girl and would make the same gestures. Something was up and Amy knew it.
“Had a wolf on the farm last night and wondered if you’ve seen anything,” Emma stammered.
“Damn it. I knew something was going on. Everything OK?” Asked Amy
“Ya…ya… Dixon scared it off” E
mma replied leaving out so much information that she felt like she was going to burn in hell if her aunt ever found out.
Emma helped Amy pack up some soup along with some cornbread in case Emma ran into someone who needed it in town after the storm. Conversation turned lighter but Amy knew she needed to do some nosing as she knew there was more to this story then Emma was letting on. She let it go for now, though, because she knew Emma wanted to get into town. But, this was far from over and she knew it.
7
Emma headed back into town, wondering along the way where exactly she could find her husband. It didn’t take her long to find him as he always migrated to the worst-hit area no matter what was going on. He always had to be in the thick of things. This was a blessing or a curse, Emma thought, but she could never figure out which one. He won her heart by many things but his compassion for others was a huge part of it. On the flip side, his need to be a social butterfly was a bit overwhelming for an introvert like Emma. She valued and got strength from her alone time. Tommy was quite the opposite. His batteries got charged from being around people. The energy just radiated off of him when he was in a crowd of people. Everyone knew Tommy and he knew everyone.
Finding a place to park her truck, Emma scanned the area. The electric company was already out and had secured the fallen electrical lines. The men who were there were cutting the downed trees up and clearing the debris. The wood would be donated to those who needed it and if anyone didn’t want it, the guys would divide the rest into their trucks. The typical gawkers were there with their cameras in tow, being more of a nuisance than anything as the workers had to shuffle them around when they had to remove unstable limbs or fell a tree that was damaged.
Emma tracked down Brian Cottner, the Emergency Management Director, to see how things were going and if they needed her help anywhere. He wasn’t hard to find as most of the damage from the storm was contained in one general area. He was, on the other hand, not in one of his better moods. His glossy dome of a head was already turning multiple shades of red she noticed as she walked over to where he was talking with some utility workers. His fingers pointing in multiple directions with arms flailing, he reminded her of an octopus. She would be certain to mention that to him later over a beer. Not sure he would appreciate the humor in it right now though, she thought with a chuckle.
“Dude, how long you been out here” Emma asked
“Dude? Really?” Brian snarled back. Emma raised an eyebrow and Brian noticed. His tone changed a bit. “Since last night, why?”
She took him by the arm and dragged him over to her truck. Lowering the tailgate she demanded he “Sit” as she pointed. Emma went into the cab of the truck and got a thermos of coffee, some soup and a nice helping of cornbread and walked back around to where Brian was sitting. “Here” she said as she started spreading out the food. “Eat this before you harm someone with your bad attitude”
Brian took a big drink of coffee and closed his eyes. “I’m good, thanks for the coffee, though,” he said as his stomach betrayed him. The growling didn’t stop either and Emma started to grin. “Just eat, you big bald bullheaded dork,” she said.
“Ya know, it’s a good thing I actually like you little miss smarty pants” Brian quipped as he picked up a piece of cornbread.
“Ya Ya, whatever” Emma replied. “Anyone hurt?”
“No, we were lucky. Just a lot of cleanup this time, but dang if these storms don’t keep getting stronger and stronger. It’s like someone is intentionally turning up the dial!” Emma spun around and opened her mouth and was about to say something when Brian added, “Oh, and you can keep your weather modification theories to yourself, I’m being serious. You don’t need to ‘enlighten’ me with your intelligence,” he said as he purposely added air quotes around the word “enlighten.” Knowing he was going to start an argument he wasn’t going to win, he quickly changed the subject.
“Could use your help on a new project I want to get going on” he said
“What is it?”
“This is completely off the record, just remember that” he said
“Alright, no problem,” Emma said intrigued.
“I want to get more women involved in security, specifically becoming proficient in firearms. I figure, coming from another female, would help motivate them faster,” Brian said
“You have a need for speed on this or something?”
“Let’s just say I want to put a wiggle in getting our little community set up to not have to rely on outside ‘sources’ so much” There were those damn air quotes again, Emma thought.
“Sure, whatever you need. You know that. Anything you want to talk about?” Emma asked
Brian and Emma had been friends for a long time but not always on the same side. Brian, a couple years older, graduated and got a degree in crisis management. Getting wrapped up in all the government enticements, Brian came home with the intention of “saving” his home town, not realizing that they didn’t need rescuing. Government hand-outs always came with strings attached and it took Brian a few years of being a puppet to wake up. A few more years of trying to untie all the knots that he himself had created and Brian finally had his community working towards being self-sufficient. Now it was only a matter of tweaking out the rough spots and bringing everyone onto the same page.
“Higher ups are getting jittery,” he said. He bowed his head and talked low enough that only Emma could hear him. “They are talking about an overthrow,” he said as he raised his head. Looking her in the eyes, gaze as strong as steel, locking her in and not letting go, “a coup,” he said without releasing her stare. He watched as her mind started spinning. While her expression never changed, he saw what was going on behind her eyes and it intrigued him.
“Shit,” was all she said and turned and walked off.
She knew it was coming. Hell, if anyone was paying attention, they knew it was coming. The natives were tired and restless. The economy was being held up by false, misleading, numbers. Unemployment was so high that a lot of families had already moved in with their grandparents or some other relative who still actually hadn’t had their home foreclosed on yet. Going to the grocery store took all of 10 minutes because most people couldn’t afford to eat unless they grew their own. Business after business had boarded up or moved on only to find that the only place to move to was out of the country. This country, her country, was a mess. And it broke her heart.
People tried to stand up and speak out only to find their voices muffled. Truck drivers and bikers tried to band together and march on Washington only to become a distant memory. With country after country overthrowing its government, it became quite odd that considering the corruption within our own *government* that everything seemed business as usual. But if you put your ear to the ground, and listened, you could hear the rumble… and that rumble was growing. To those who chose to pay attention, they knew the day would come that would change history. It was only a matter of time.
There was a year left until the next presidential election. A lot of people who traveled within Emma’s circle had whispered of martial law, of people within the government implementing a false flag in order to stall that very election. If that were the case, they needed to “put a wiggle in it” as Brian liked to say, and get any loose ends tied up in their community endeavors.
Yes, women needed to step it up. Primary focus had been on food preservation and medical training but they also needed to take responsibility for security of their family, their home and their community.
One area of preparedness that women were weak in was, in fact, security. It was the “man’s job,” right? To be the defender of his woman, his home. But time after time the question arose, what happens if that man is removed from the home? What happens if during a hurricane that man dies and leaves his wife defenseless? His daughters defenseless? They are then removed to a shelter to become someone’s new toy because they did not know how to defend themselves. Does not the stronger always conquer?
Does not the weaker submit to authority?
Studying the after-effects of Fukushima and Katrina and what happened in the shelters is very eye-opening when it comes to why women need to learn to defend themselves. The occurrences of rape alone rose into double digit percentages over and above what was already occurring before the disaster. Putting vulnerable people together with predatory personalities is easily a recipe for disaster, sadly at the hands of those reaching out to help them. Add to that alcohol and drug use in a high stress situation with a very low police presence and you have created the ultimate nightmare for a young female with no means to protect herself.
8
It doesn’t long for clean up when a community pitches in, and Tom and Emma were on their way home in no time. Tom had the back of his pickup full of wood from the trees they cut up which would come in handy next winter. Backing his truck up into the wood pit, they quickly unloaded it and headed back to the house. They would come out over the next couple weeks and split and stack the wood so it would be ready to use in the years ahead. This winter’s wood supply was already moved up closer to the house to be within easy reach.
Dixon came running up to meet them as they approached the house. Their very own White Knight of the Castle. You would never guess that the previous night he was rolling around with a wolf in the middle of a storm. Completely ignoring Tommy, Dixon ran straight to his Lady of the Manor and greeted her with pure, complete Camelot chivalry. One big slopping kiss later they were headed towards the house as Emma exclaimed. “Let’s go eat!”
Being tired, they had a light, easy dinner and settled in the living room for the night. Tom began building a fire for the night ahead and Dixon stretched out on his pillow and promptly began snoring. Once the fire caught, Tom surprised Emma by putting on some music instead of turning on the television. Grabbing a quilt and some sofa pillows, and trying to be as romantic as he could, he laid them out on the floor in front of the fireplace. Emma watched him full of intrigue as this was not a usual occurrence in their household. Romance and Tommy were distant cousins. Very distant cousins. Once he was satisfied with his arrangement, he walked over and poured them both a shot of spiced rum. Warming it up in his hands, he walked over to where Emma was sitting and reached for her hand. She was surprised that when she reached her hand out, instead of handing her the rum, he pulled her to her feet. “My love.” He said as he handed her the rum with an ever so slight tilt to his head. “Why, thank you, kind sir” she responded with the same faint nod.