Once Upon an Apocalypse: Book 1 - The Journey Home - Revised Edition

by JEFF MOTES

  This troubles me. “Do you think George and Betty are going to be in danger?”

  “I’m afraid they might, unless trouble comes incrementally and allows them to learn before it gets bad. Bad trouble, right now, would be a disaster for them.”

  “Dear God,” I pray, “please protect our friends. Open their eyes as to what they need to do. Amen.”

  About an hour later John says, “I think this is the old church up ahead.”

  I look, but can’t see much more than the outline of a building. It’s too dark to tell much about it.

  “St Paul’s United Methodist Church,” John says. “That’s it. Let’s look for the first dirt road, to the right. You want to stretch your legs?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  About ten minutes later, he slows. “I think this is it.” He navigates the ATV onto the dirt road. It’s in fair condition, with some washboard grooves here and there, forcing John to drive even slower.

  “What do you see around?” I ask.

  “Just road and trees. I’ve been scanning for any sign of fire or light, but I haven’t seen anything.”

  After a little over an hour, there is a paved road. There are no signs. “This must be Marvel Road,” John says. He eases the ATV onto the pavement. Then, a short while later, pulls over to the side.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask with some concern.

  “There’s a field off to the side here. You’ve been fidgeting for the past ten minutes, so I figure you need to make a stop. Besides, my eyes need some relief.”

  My face grows red, though he can’t see it. Was it that obvious? I was waiting as long as I could, but he’s right, I need to go pretty bad. Those bumps were not too easy back there.

  My legs are stiff, and my back is sore from maintaining the same position for so long.

  “I’m going to turn the NVD off,” John says. “It’s pretty dark, so you can go anywhere.”

  I don’t like this. True it’s dark, too dark to see very far or very much, but I still don’t like it. I walk off a bit and look back. I can’t see John or the ATV. I complete my task quickly and start back, but I’ve lost my sense of direction.

  “John, where are you?” I call out.

  “Over here.” He shines a small light in my direction. When I get back he says, “I’m glad you didn’t use your flashlight. Let’s not use them unless we absolutely have to. Here, take this key chain light. It won’t shine far but it will help you walk around. Try to keep your hand around it and only let out the minimal amount of light you need.”

  “Thanks.”

  He reaches into his pack and pulls out two energy bars. Using another keychain light inside his pack, he asks, “Blueberry or cherry?”

  “Blueberry.”

  “Want to share, or do you want the whole thing?”

  “Sharing is fine with me.”

  He breaks the bar in half, hands one piece to me, and starts munching on the other piece.

  “What time is it?”

  John checks his watch. “12:30. Good Saturday morning to you.”

  “I can think of some other things I’d rather being doing on a Saturday morning.”

  “Yeah, I can too, but I’ve got to stay focused.”

  Now what does he mean by that?

  “We’ve got about twelve more miles to go, or something close to that, before we hit AL25 south of Montevallo,” John says. “Our next turn is south on CR65. That should take us into AL25.”

  “At least we’re getting closer.”

  John turns the ATV back onto Marvel Road. The miles seem like they are only crawling by, but I am very glad we aren’t having to walk. Very glad indeed. The night air is slightly cool, maybe the upper 60s. The ATV is really quiet. I don’t know what Mark did to it, but John sure was happy to hear how quiet it was.

  John has been silent for a while. My head falls forward and lands on his shoulder.

  “Sorry,” I say. I’m so tired and my eye lids are so heavy. A few moments later my head falls again. “Sorry.” The next time, my left hand slides from John’s shoulder and I face plant into his back. “John, I’m sorry I can’t stay awake.”

  “It’s okay, Jill. Go ahead and get some rest. I’m okay.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  I can’t help it; I’m too tired and sleepy. I’ve tried to keep off John’s back, but it’s no use. I take my hands from his shoulders, wrap my arms around him, and lean fully into his back. I make myself comfortable, laying my head on his shoulder and snuggling in close. I hope he doesn’t mind, because I’m just too sleepy to do anything else.

  ***

  John is squeezing my leg, he’s saying something. What is he saying?

  “Jill, wake up.”

  I come to my senses. “What is it? How long have I been asleep?”

  “There’s is a fire on the side of the road up ahead. Be alert.”

  Chapter 45

  John

  Roadside Campfire

  Day 9

  As we leave the field behind and continue on Marvel Road, I start thinking of our newfound friends, hoping they will be okay. They don’t have a significant security plan. Anybody who is determined to could go right through their impromptu roadblock and be amongst the farms and homes in a matter of minutes. I wish I had known how poorly they were set up. I could have helped them with some ideas. The whole time we were there, I didn’t see a gun on Betty or George. In fact, prior to the roadblock, the only gun I saw besides mine and Jill’s, was the Glock on Mark’s hip. That won’t be enough to defend a community. The guards talked about rumors of military looking guys roaming around. That could be good, or it could be very bad. If they are community minded and trying to keep things secure, that’s a good thing. If they are out roving, searching for a good place to set up operations, it’s going to be bad for our friends, very bad.

  Jill’s head falls to my shoulder and she says, “Sorry.” It happens again and she repeats, “Sorry.” I can’t blame her. I’m tired too, there’s too much on my mind, otherwise I’d be nodding off as well. Her hands slide from my shoulder and she falls onto my back.

  “John, I’m sorry I can’t stay awake,” she says.

  “It’s okay, Jill. Go ahead and get some rest. I’m okay.”

  She asks, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  She removes her hands from my shoulders and wraps her arms around me, snuggles in close, and lays her head on my shoulder. She feels warm and soft. It’s pleasant; a type of pleasant I haven’t felt in a long time. Jill is a beautiful woman, with sandy blonde hair and green eyes. It has certainly been hard refraining from reaching for her these past few days. She’s beautiful in her complete form. Why I haven’t seen it before is something that continues to amaze me. The events that brought our paths together seem to have been guided. Still, I can’t let my mind linger in these thoughts, no matter how pleasant they are. I have to stay focused. I need to get myself and Jill home safely. Once there, we’ll have to wait and see.

  I think back on the poor security setup George and Betty are depending on and cringe. My own community of Repose is small, with only about 300 people. It’s situated between US43, US84 and AL69. There are several county roads inside the community, but only one that passes through. Some years ago, at the Repose Volunteer Fire Department BBQ, I struck up a conversation with some community friends. The conversation drifted into preparedness in general. Later, as the BBQ was winding down, five men approached. They wanted to meet up and talk about things some more. Soon we were meeting every two weeks, and the number grew to its current number of twelve. Three years ago, we all agreed to start pooling some resources and skills to help survive as a community in case of some catastrophic event, including this very event. In addition to pooling resources and making plans, we each prepare as individuals and try to get as many in our community to prepare as possible, some without even knowing it. Talking someone into raising chickens or
planting a garden wasn’t too difficult to do. These types of things only enhance a person’s preparedness, even if they aren’t doing it to be prepared. Enhancing personal preparedness enhances community preparedness.

  I’m fortunate to have been successful in business, and my financial resources have been greater than most. Some in our group of twelve have very little, yet they prepare as best they can. It’s a mindset that transcends financial, social, gender, and racial barriers. As a group, and as individuals, plans were made, responsibilities assigned, and schedules set. Kathy was key. Key to keeping me on track. But why didn’t I, or even Kathy, think about washing clothes? Maybe she did make some plans. I’ll have to check when I get home. If not, it’s going to be a difficult chore. Two of the more important aspects of our plans were physical security and operational security. Physical security for the community in the way of well-planned, armed checkpoints and patrols. Operational security by keeping a tight lid on who knew about our actual preparedness plans. There are many others aspects as well, including setting up communications.

  The warmth from Jill’s body has turned into sweat. She must be exhausted. She didn’t even wake when we made the turn onto AL25. We’re going to have to stop soon. My eyes are hurting from the two different light levels; the bright green hue of the NVD for my right eye, to deep darkness for my left eye. I sense a headache coming, despite the three Tylenol I took at our last stop. It’s now 2:15 in the morning. I’ve seen a few campfires way off to the sides in fields and woods. Not many, but I’ve been watching one particular fire more closely as we approach. It’s pretty evident that it’s right on the edge of the road. Why would anyone set up camp right on the edge of the road? They are either ignorant to the dangers, or they want to ambush someone traveling by. We’ve been fortunate not to have seen anyone traveling. This fire has me concerned. I’m going to have to check it out before driving up to it. I slow the ATV down about a half a mile back. Time to check things out.

  “Jill,” I say quietly. She doesn’t respond. I reach back and squeeze her leg, “Jill, wake up.” It’s taking her a minute to gain coherency from her deep sleep.

  “What is it, John? How long have I been asleep?”

  “There’s a fire on the side of the road up ahead. Be alert. You’ve been asleep for quite a while, more than an hour. It’s 2:25. I’m going to have to check it out on foot before we drive by.”

  There’s an opening in the trees to our left on the opposite side of the road from the campfire. I drive in and turn the ATV around to face the road.

  Jill stretches her arms, then places her hands back on my shoulders. “I’m sorry, John. I think a drooled on your shirt.”

  I thought there was something wet back there besides sweat. “Don’t worry about it, I may return the favor sometime. Let’s get off and walk back to the road.”

  Putting the sling of the carbine around my neck, I test the IR laser. It’s good and bright with the NVD, invisible to the naked eye. “Hold my hand. It’s too dark to walk around without tripping.”

  Jill takes my hand. I lead her as we approach the road. Stopping I scan both directions then ask, “See the fire up ahead?”

  “Faintly.”

  “This is what we are going to do. I’m going to use the NVD to go up there on foot and see what’s up. I need you to stay here with the ATV and our gear. We’ll keep in contact using the radios. If you see anything suspicious, call me. When we get back to the ATV, I’m going to give you an earbud and a mike for the radio. I’ll check in with you as I can. If you need to call me, do so. If I can’t respond verbally, I will simply key the mike three times. Under no circumstances are you to leave here unless I specifically ask you to.”

  “What if you get hurt and need me?”

  “Jill, under no circumstances are you to leave here unless I ask. I’m serious. If you come up there and I don’t know you’re coming, I could mistake you for a bad guy. Don’t do it. If I get hurt, or for some other reason don’t return, stay here until daylight and make sure no one is around before you leave.”

  “All right, John, I won’t follow unless you call for me, but I’m telling you right now, I’m not leaving this place without you, no matter what you say. Period.”

  I study her face. She is pretty in the green hue of the NVD. I smile, knowing she can’t see my expression. “You look pretty with that set expression on your face. Especially with the green tint of the NVD. Kind of reminds me of the Wizard of Oz.”

  She crinkles her nose. “Don’t be worrying about whether I’m pretty or not. You go up there and come back here or you’ll see the witch side of me.”

  I chuckle and unclip the NVD from the head gear. “Use this to study the surrounding area, and the road, then lead us back to the ATV.”

  She scans around, then takes my hand and leads us back.

  “Now study the way back to the road. If I call for you to come, you need to do so without light, if possible. I know you won’t be able to see very well, but I think it will be safer. If I see otherwise, I’ll let you know.”

  I give her the ear bud from my pack and help her get it inserted into the radio and attached to her ear, then I clip the NVD back in place. “Remember, don’t use your flashlight. If you have to use a light, use the keychain light I gave you. Let’s use the same call signs you gave us at the barn. I’m Pumper. You’re Barney.”

  “Okay.”

  “One more thing, Jill. Just in case, keep these for me.” I hand her the gold and silver coins from my pocket.

  She closes her hand around the coins, then hugs me. “You come back to me, John Carter.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  I walk back to the road. Stepping onto the pavement, I consider whether I should cross the road and approach through the tree line, or go straight up the road. If I follow the tree line, there could be ample opportunities to trip and fall, perhaps making a lot of noise. The gen 3 NVD I have is good, but it’s still not daylight. If I walk along the pavement, I could be seen by someone else with an NVD. If those at the fire have an NVD, it’s likely to be a gen 1. While they’re better than nothing, they will most likely white out due to the campfire. My gen 3 is autogated; it’ll adjust itself and not over intensify the image. What if they have a gen 3 though? If they do, and understand its capabilities, they would just wait without a fire and simply clothesline somebody passing by, similar to what happened to Jill. I decide to cross the pavement to the same side of the road as the fire and follow on the edge of the pavement.

  Dear God, grant me strength and courage. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  My boots are completely silent. When I get close to the camp, I can slip into the woods if need be. I’m moving at a brisk walk. The road is clear, front and back. When I’m about fifty yards away the radio crackles in my ear. “Pumper, this is Barney. I hear a vehicle approaching. Now I see headlights behind you.”

  Seeing the lights, I whisper back, “If they stop or shine a light in your direction, call me immediately and I’ll come back. Don’t move. Just stay still. Pumper out.”

  I quietly enter the woods, waiting behind some thick brush. In mere moments, the truck drives right up and stops at the campfire. I find that strange. They leave the truck lights on and the doors squeak open. People start speaking. They sound like some young men.

  “Well, well, how are you folks doing tonight? I see we have the Mr. and Mrs. and your two darling little children. It’s nice to meet you. My name is…well, it don’t matter what my name is. I see you have helped yourselves to our firewood and we have come to collect our pay.”

  Another man says, “What do you mean?”

  I start creeping closer.

  The first guy speaks again. “That firewood you’ve been burning. Didn’t you see our sign? There it is, right next to our now half-gone wood pile. Didn’t you just help yourself like the sign said? Well, now we’ve come to collect payment, just like the sign says.”

  I’ve approached within twenty-five yards. The low
brush is thick where I am and I don’t want to risk making more noise. Leaning against a large pine tree, I kneel and find a spot where I can see through the brush. I turn the IR laser on, position the carbine through the opening, and scan what is before me. A man, a woman, and two children are standing on one side of the fire. On the other side, between the truck and the fire, are two men, if that’s what they can be called. They both have shotguns in their hands. They’re dangling, not pointing at anything in particular.

  “We’re sorry,” the man says. “We didn’t know the wood belonged to anyone. We can refill your wood pile in the morning before we leave.”

  The first guy laughs. “So you think it’s just that easy? The sign was clear. It said, ‘Help yourselves to our firewood, we will collect pay later.’ I know you saw it. So, we’re here to collect our pay.”

  “I’m sorry, it was our mistake. All I have is twenty dollars. You can have it.”

  The first guy snorts derisively. “Money? Money? Why the hell would I want money? It ain’t worth nothing.”

  “We don’t have anything else,” the man says.

  “You don’t,” the guys says as he turns toward the woman. “She does. Now, little lady, why don’t you come over here and pay your debts?”

  The second guy is gushing, “Oh yeah, come on over here!”

  The man says in a trembling voice, “No, we can’t do that. That’s not going to happen.”

  “She’s going to pay one way or the other,” the guy says. “Either she pays on her own accord, or we’ll beat the crap out of you and those whiney brats, and she’ll pay just the same!”

  The woman speaks for the first time. “If I do, will you go and leave us alone?”