He found an empty parking spot across the block where he met with the leader of The Coalition. He pulled on the emergency hand brake and shut the engine. The streets were empty now – no signs of The Coalition members that crowded this exact same street last night.
Senator Peters checked his rear view mirror. From time to time, he checked his wristwatch, too. After ten minutes of waiting, a black sedan drove by and parked at the next block. He knew he’d seen it before. The signal light from the black sedan blinked twice. That was the signal!
Senator Peters took a large gulp of breath, as if he was about to dive underwater for a long long time. He picked up a couple sheets of paper from the passenger seat, and stepped out of his car.
He looked over both sides of the street before crossing. He slowly made his way to the black sedan. Inside the car, he was welcomed by the leader of The Coalition.
“Good day, Mr. Peters!”
“You too!” he replied.
“Do you have something for me?” the Coalition leader said, faintly.
“As promised,” Peters said. “I have delivered your demands to the Vice President.”
The Coalition leader cleared his throat and lifted his chin. However, he neither looked at nor replied to Senator Peters.
Senator Peters said, “Here is a copy of the report I submitted to them. You can have a look if you want.” He then handed the two sheets of paper that he brought with him.
The Coalition leader grabbed the papers. They still made no eye contact.
“That’s all we need for now, Mr. Peters,” he said in a stern and cold voice. “We appreciate your time.”
Senator Peters nodded and stepped out of the vehicle. He quickly dashed toward his parked vehicle and sped out of the area.
***
Chapter 6 – The Farm
It was Sunday afternoon in the farm, about four o’clock.
Lisa was comfortably settling in with the boys. Mary and her two kids had arrived in the farm a couple of days ago. They drove about five miles outside of Southcrest to get to Batesville, Mississippi where the farm is located.
The family farmhouse had been around for about a century. It has been passed on from one generation of Taylor to another. As of now, Mary’s dad is the sole keeper of the house because this is where he grew up in. Her father inherited it from Great Grandpa Taylor after he passed away.
However, Grandpa Taylor underwent coronary bypass surgery three years ago, which has forbidden him from doing any form of heavy work. Grandpa Taylor decided to quit growing crops and sold off some of his animals. He did leave behind some animals to take care of in the farm though, such as a couple of pigs, cows, horses, and a few poultry animals. Not only was the farm physically distant from the city, there were also plenty of things to do around the farm to keep Mary’s mind off of the riots that plagued Mississippi and the rest of the surrounding States.
Mary quickly found refuge in her parent’s home in the farm. She felt so far away from the chaos in the city. For now, she can assure that her kids are away from the threats of violence.
When she first arrived in the farm with her two boys, she had told her parents everything about what they went through on the road. She initially intended to keep it from them. But the shock and terror in her face gave her away. And so they probed her. She knew she could not withhold such information from them. Even she could not hide it from Benjamin when he checked in on them over the phone the first night they got to the farm. One detail she decided to skip, however, was the part when Justin beat up their hijacker with a baseball bat.
Later that day, everyone was interrupted from their daily chores at the farm when Justin interrupted them yelling, “Someone’s coming!”
A white SUV was headed towards the farm house. The entire family gathered by the driveway as they await the arrival of the vehicle.
The vehicle screeched to a halt and the entire Taylor family looked on excitedly. It was Aaron, Mary’s brother, with his wife Michelle and their two teenage kids, Randy and Tonya.
“Hi,” Mary greeted her brother with a tight hug. “How are you?” she asked as she welcomed her sister-in-law, Michelle, with a hug.
“We’re happy to make it here safely,” Aaron said. “Better to be safe than sorry, I guess,” he added.
“Where’s Benjamin?” Michelle asked Mary, when she saw her two sons but not her husband.
Mary fell quiet. She took a deep breath before responding, “He opted to stay.” Her smile was quickly replaced by a despondent voice and a frown.
“Oh… I’m so sorry to hear that. But is he fine?” Michelle went on to ask.
“I spoke to him last Friday night and he sounded fine. Just a bit worried for us. But he’s too busy at the hospital to join us here,” Mary said, her voice fading as she spoke. She felt the tinge of pain from her decision to leave for the farm without Benjamin.
Should I have insisted that he go with us? Several questions ran through her mind all over again. The same questions bugged her to no end. She knew that a lot could have happened in a span of two days. Even though she had earlier dismissed them, the thoughts resurrected once again.
Michelle approached her and gave her a comforting hug. Aaron also gave her a tap on the shoulder. “You know that he would rather be here with you,” Aaron said, “but I’m sure he has a bigger, better plan. It’ll all make sense when time comes.”
“That is what I am hoping for, too -for all of this to make sense. For his sacrifices to be worth it,” Mary said, now crying.
Michelle wiped tears off the corner of her eyes, too. “Come on, this is supposed to be a happy reunion. We’re safe here at the farm. I’m sure Benjamin will figure it out, trust him,” Michelle confided.
Justin looked on and felt worried for his dad. He got himself pre-occupied with the chores at the farm that he forgot about it for a while. Now, it is starting to haunt him again, like it did for his mother. Mary saw the look in his eyes, and so she went over to him and hugged him, too.
As they were getting ready to unload their luggage, Michelle called out to her two kids who had not stepped out of the vehicle the entire time. “Randy! Tonya! Come on, aren’t you excited to meet your cousins and Aunt Mary? Look! Grandma and Grandpa are here, too” she told them. No one responded.
Lisa noticed how Aaron’s kids seemed disinterested. She asked, “Any problem with the kids? Are they not feeling well?”
Michelle nonchalantly replied, “Maybe they’re just exhausted from the drive.”
“Okay,” Grandma replied. “Get them inside so they can rest.”
Michelle ushered in Randy and Tonya. They just walked past Grandma and she looked displeased. There were exchanges of glances but Grandma decided to let it pass until they have settled in.
The entire Taylor family with Mary and Aaron’s kids shared a dinner feast. The Taylor grandparents were quite pleased to have their kids and their grandchildren there, despite the circumstances that brought them back to the farm. Everyone seemed to enjoy the meals prepared for by Grandma. But she cannot help but notice how Mary did not bother to touch the food on her plate.
“Mary, are you not hungry?” Grandma Lisa asked.
Mary looked startled. As if she was disrupted from a dream.
“Oh, I’m still quite full,” she said.
“Are you sure? You ate very little for lunch, you must be hungry,” she insisted.
Aaron and Michelle also paused. Michelle is now feeling guilty about bringing up Benjamin earlier. “Mary, I’m sorry,” said Michelle, while reaching out to squeeze Mary’s hand.
“Don’t get me wrong – I am happy that the boys are now settled and safe. But… the guilt won’t let me go,” she sobbed. “I haven’t been in contact with him since Friday night. I don’t know if he’s okay or not… I want to know but I am scared to know in case he’s not doing as well as I had hoped.”
Grandma went over to Mary and hugged her from behind. “Worrying does you no good, Mary,” she
said. “Try to eat now, things will get better soon,” she said.
When the entire family had finished eating their supper, Michelle and Mary opted to stay in the kitchen. They helped out Grandma to wash the dishes and clean the kitchen. Michelle made a conscious effort not to bring Benjamin to the topic again. They agreed to not talk about it until at least for the rest of the day.
“So, Mary, what have you been doing back home?” Michelle casually struck up a conversation. She was wiping the dishes on the table.
“Just staying at home… looking after the kids,” Mary said.
“You know I’ve been meaning to do that, too. A couple of years ago I tried filing for resignation but my boss denied it. But I would really love to be able to care for the kids myself, especially now that they’ve grown up so fast,” she shared.
“Exactly! I could still remember when Justin was five and he would sleep with us in the bed. Now, he’s helping out with his Grandpa at the farm and going on hunting with his dad,” Mary quipped. A slight pause followed.
“Sorry,” Mary said. They burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, the boys joined Grandpa Taylor as they checked on the animals at the farm and secured the doors of the chicken house. Justin was very intent on helping out his grandfather at the farm. His brother also followed him around. Randy, who was Aaron’s son, just stayed in his bed after having dinner. He earlier invited him to help out with his grandfather at the farm, but he declined.
That night, Justin could not get himself to sleep. He fidgeted around in bed. He could not get his thoughts off of his dad. What is he doing now? Is he safe? How long will they have to wait until they can see him again?
Justin’s memory was also haunted by the image of the bloodied man he beat up. He is nervous about trying to explain everything to his father. I can’t believe I took another man’s life, he thought to himself. But he knew it was necessary or else it was his mother’s life that would not have been spared.
He turned over to his side. That night, as he tried going back to sleep, he prayed for his father. That he will be safe. And that their reunion will happen soon.
***
Chapter 7 – Getting Prepared
The following Monday morning, Mary woke up earlier than usual. She went to bed in good spirits. But the level of worry for her husband’s safety has not subsided. In fact, she felt a bit more worried as she was expecting Benjamin to call by now. However, he has not made any contact with them yet.
She stepped out of her room and went straight to the kitchen. She found Grandma Lisa in the kitchen preparing pancakes for breakfast.
“Good morning, Mary,” she greeted.
“Did Benjamin ever call?” she responded.
“Hold on, it’s still too early to talk about that. Why don’t you have some pancakes and coffee first?” she diverted the topic.
“Mom, I’m worried. He hasn’t called in three days,” she said, her voice reeking of desperation.
“If you’re really worried, then why don’t you go ahead and give him a call?” Grandma suggested. “He must have been busy at the hospital. I’m sure he did not intend to make you worry,” she said.
“That’s right!” Mary cheerfully agreed to the idea. She clasped her mother on both her shoulders in excitement. She imagined what it would be like to hear his voice again.
“Okay, be gentle now,” she jokingly said, referring to Mary’s tight grip on her shoulders.
“Sorry,” said Mary, somewhat embarrassed and released her tight grip of her mother.
“Please excuse me,” she then headed towards her room to make the call. She dialed in the phone number to their house.
RING!!! RING!!! RING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pick up the phone, come on!
Mary gritted her teeth. The phone line went dead when no one answered the phone on the other end. Mary’s heartbeat started racing.
She tried calling again. Same result. The phone rang for at least ten times before she concluded that no one is there to pick it up. She decided to call the hospital instead.
He must be on duty right now! No one’s home to answer the phone, that’s why, she figured.
But she could not get through the hospital’s phone number. She tried to contact the other phone numbers at the hospital that she had a record of. All phone lines were not working. All she heard was a constant beeping sound of a busy phone line.
Mary just stood there, frozen. She dropped the telephone to her feet. Tears started welling up her eyes. She could not hold it any longer and started sobbing like a child. There is no other way of getting in touch with Benjamin. A horde of worst case scenarios played through her mind. She curled up on the floor – helpless and frightened for her husband’s life. Ben… her voice faded as she tried to call out his name.
Grandpa sat on his favorite chair at the living room. It is part of his morning routine to spend a few idle hours in the morning to watch the news while having coffee. Justin entered into the living room. He looked groggy after having trouble getting to sleep the night before. He found an empty couch to Grandpa’s left and settled there. He, too, listened to the news.
“Everyone, come over here! You need to see this!” Grandpa yelled frantically.
The sense of urgency in his voice had everyone basically racing for the living room. Everyone but Mary showed up. They were huddled together in front of the television set. Grandpa kept motioning for them to shift their attention towards the television set.
“…the riots that wreaked havoc in Memphis have now crossed state lines. State government officials in Mississippi had been on full alert since yesterday. All military and police personnel had been dispatched to monitor the situation on the street and prevent marauders from spreading more violence. However, all residents of Mississippi are advised to stay inside their homes, especially at night time.
On another news, the Vice President had held another press conference detailing the investigation of the attack at the White House. She said that they have eyed the Islamic Nationalist group as possible perpetrators. She also added that they were able to get in touch with the leader of the so-called Coalition. However, she refused to give specific details about the demands of the group but said that they are looking into it. She is expected to meet with the members of the cabinet and a few Senators today to discuss it further….”
When the news segment was over, Grandpa lowered the volume.
“This is not looking good,” he said, shaking his head profusely. “Not looking good at all,” he repeated for emphasis.
Michelle looked on, worrisome. She then looked over to her kids who were huddled together in a couch, playing games in their handheld consoles.
“It seems now that time is of the enemy here. It is only a matter of time until the violence hits home and…” the thought scared Grandpa too much he couldn’t finish what he was trying to say.
Grandma Lisa’s eyes filled with fear and worry. For the past few days, she had embraced the idea that her children and grandchildren had come to the farm to find safety. She feared of the day that they won’t be able to find it here anymore. Her hands trembled as she held them together.
“We need to be ready, just in case the violence spills out of the city,” noted Grandpa. Some people looked surprised, but all definitely had fear in their eyes.
“I suggest that we need to start packing essential items. You know, basic survival items like food and water,” Grandpa insisted. “We can’t just sit here and wait.”
Aaron shook his head, saying “Dad, you are just overreacting.” Aaron managed to give out a sarcastic laugh.
“The news clearly stated that the government has investigated the attacks. Whatever it is that is causing violence out there, it is not going to overrun the state or even get here,” he went on to add.
“But what if it does? “ Grandpa probed. “Have you got a plan to protect your kids when it does? Are you 100% sure that you will be just fine?”
Aaron tried to defen
d himself but as he opened his mouth, no words came out. He just held out both hands in front of him.
“We cannot just assume that the violence won’t erupt over here. We have to be ready… just… in… case,” he said slowly for emphasis. “The riots are not the only problem here. Even if they remain in the city, the power outages and the loss of supply will eventually affect us. Where do we get new supplies, in case we ran out? Are we content to hide in here and die of hunger?”
The Second Amendment: A Novel On Surviving The Coming Collapse Page 5