A Long Lonely Road

by Tj Reeder

  shoulders thrown back and said “ I think you like all my abilities right”?

  I had to agree with that assessment because so far I haven’t seen one place where she is lacking in abilities. She’s just the perfect one to have with me on this adventure.

  Cutting the deer meat into jerky thin strips and getting the willow racks built took all morning and half the afternoon.

  We dug around in the supplies looking for anything that could be used to season the meat which was mostly salt pepper and brown sugar mixed with water.

  Sandy suggested we open a couple of the big tins of peaches and drain the juice into the mix so we did that. And then we sat in the shade and enjoyed some of the peaches then she added a couple of ounces of JW to the mix. Guess we would find out if it was a good thing or not.

  With all the meat drying over a low Smokey fire we built a fire in the earth oven and Sandy got another batch of corn bread going after the thing was hot. She had seasoned a back strap and rolled it in some foil I had brought for some reason and placed it in with the cornbread.

  We then stripped and hit the hot pool and scrubbed the sweat and deer blood off and just relaxed and enjoyed the quiet.

  After we dried off and dressed in our camp sweats we had pan fried back straps, hot corn bread with butter and crushed up peaches. The roasted loin we saved for breakfast.

  We made a pot of coffee and doctored it with some JW and then Sandy asked me about the family and home in Texas. I told her about the underground small home I’d built with the help of our neighbor and his clan. Who were just the best damn folks you could want as friends and neighbors.

  I told her how I came to be there and how Mom came to live there also. And about the strangers who became more family then my blood kin.

  She got quiet for a bit so I asked her to spill it. She said she didn’t know anything really about me and what to expect when we got to TX. She beat around the bush a bit and finely asked if I was married! I busted out laughing and said well shit girl you’re a bit slow asking that ain’t ya???

  But I told her no I wasn’t. That I had been, more then once.

  I told her about my Lady who shared the name Sandy. who had died from a nasty cancer but thank god had gone fast. I guessed I just never found one who could put up with me for long.

  She smiled and said “ Hell John, your easy to keep up with” and busted out laughing. It took me a moment to realize what she said and then I grabbed her. Carried her to the pool and dropped her in. Cloths and all!

  She came up coughing so hard I just knew she was choking on water in her lungs so I grabbed her and pulled her to me. At which time the little witch dug her feet in and launched backward dragging me in …cloths and all.

  After trying to drown each other we stripped off the wet sweats and just enjoyed the moment. Making love in hot water can cause ones heart rate to speed up. But it’s worth it!

  On the morning of the 5 day we were loaded and moving at first light, we both looked back at the place that would remain in our hearts forever. It had become a home to us and the last thing Sandy did was to lay a fire in the Earth Oven and put some matches in a Band-Aid box with a note with the date and our first names. We both hoped some weary traveler might find the clearing with the pool and make use of the oven.

  We both knew we would one day come back here if we lived thru this mess.

  It would be a wonderful way to live after the scum bags all die of stupidity ! God knows we have been doing our share to make them an endangered species.

  One thing we had worked on was Sandy’s draw with her pistol. We worked her from every angle and position I could think of. We made a game of me suddenly with no warning “ Draw” and she would draw her gun, no matter what she was doing or holding.

  After she dropped her first cup of coffee one morning I agreed under threat of loss of some very important benefits to not do it when it meant dropping important things.

  Once when we were making love I whispered DRAW!! And she just smiled and said “NOT now John, I’m busy” lol..

  She had gotten very good and from under her coat or shirt she was damn fast, She had none of the “Tells” most folks develop such as dropping the gun shoulder a bit just as they start to make their move.

  She flickered her hand and the gun was in it. After training with her Glock and my 1911 she said she wanted a 1911 but not a double stack. I asked why and she said the trigger on the single action was so much better and the double stack was just too big for her hand. Both of which were true.

  So far I hadn’t encountered anybody with a 1911 since I was at the ranch and took one of a dead guy and gave it to Bob. But I promised her I’d work on it. She laughed and said well at the rate we’ve been killing the assholes we’re bound to find one sooner or later.

  One thing I had was 45 ammo and 9mm was in short supply, not that there was much pistol fighting going on but when it comes it comes fast.

  Sandy had asked me about my shooting abilities and I had to laugh and told her that among my friends I shot matches with I was the slow old man but among the people we had been running into so far I was a bit better.

  I also told her that gun fighting is just like fist fighting. Most of us are or were civilized people and were reluctant to throw the first punch. Whereas the folks who were bad before the event were not held back by that.

  And the guy I had shot in Squirrel just didn’t know that there are some people who have trained for those moments all their lives. And when it comes their muscle memory takes over. He figured he was the bad ass of the town and thought I would start trying to talk my way out of trouble.

  When his hand made that little pre-commitment to drawing his gun my training just took over and from there on my muscle memory did what it was trained to do. I had not made a conscious decision to draw. It just happened.

  She was thinking real hard about it and after a bit she said she understood now how it happened. I had trained all my life for that moment and he hadn’t. case closed.

  We stayed in the lower foothills of the Mountains that made up the Yellowstone country and merged into the country around Jackson Hole Wyoming.

  Which we would bypass by a whole Mountain range and that suited me just fine thank you! I never cared for the place. Too fake and too damn many wanna be cowboy’s strutin around.

  Right now I just wanted to be making time as fast as possible south and avoid everybody we could. By staying in the foothills we were sure to pass creeks and streams so water wasn’t an issue.

  Plus there was better graze for the mules and that was a major issue. Weak stock means no stock. And now that my butt has become so closely acquainted to the saddle I had no desire to introduce my feet to mother earth.

  I had no idea how many miles we were making a day but I’d say 15 maybe and that was close give or take a few. We were going to avoid the little towns and communities spread out all over the place until we just had to go into one.

  My biggest worry was how fast the weather was changing. The nights were getting cold and the days were chilly. The wind was starting to come out of the North which meant the real cold was headed at us. The heavy coats were gonna be real handy. I only hoped they were good enough

  That night we huddled around the fire in a gully out of the wind.

  The mules chomping away on whatever they took a mind to.

  I had been worrying a thought all day and it was time to talk about it.

  I laid it out for Sandy as best I could. About the coming winter and the fact we just couldn’t go on much longer.

  We needed shelter for the winter months and I figured maybe we could hold up in a small town and offer to be security in exchange for room ad board for us and the critters. She thought that was a good idea and said she too had been worrying it around in her head too. But was leaving it up to me.

  We should find a town in the next few days and look it over from a distance and see how it stacked up people wise. Were they working hard at stayi
ng alive or just sitting on their asses waiting for the Goobermint to come with trailers and debit cards to buy boob jobs with ? Oh yea that one has been done.

  We huddled over the map and looked for towns small enough to be able to work together and survive yet not so big they would out eat their ability to grow enough to feed themselves.

  Come morning after a good breakfast of hot cakes and maple syrup and canned butter and bacon we loaded up and headed for the first town on the list.

  White rock was a dot on the road to nowhere and we found it late in the afternoon. It was easy to find from the smoke. Raiders had been there already and simply burned the place down. There were several bodies laying where they dropped.

  Some were obviously raiders and several towns folks. It looked like the battle went against the good folks who held out long enough to pack up some vehicles and make a run for it.

  I doubted there was ever more then 50 people living here and I counted about 10 bodies that had to be locals. My first thought was to bury them but we just weren’t equipped to do it plus we needed to get out of sight.

  We rode out west and south in the general direction of the next town which was bigger then I wanted but still small enough to be on the list. I assumed the folks from white Rock had headed there. I only hoped they were taken in. Now would we be ?

  It was a slow day and a half ride to Timber Line. Which had to be a joke since there was damn few trees in sight. But it wasn’t burned out and from a goodly distance away we could see people moving around and there seemed to be some effort to barricade the approaches into town.

  There was a lot of folks running around and some actually trying to get something done. But they were very disorganized but that was good because it gave me an idea.

  I figured the raiders must have been here and delivered some kind of ultimatum with a dead line and some were wanting to fight and others were wanting to run while some would be wanting to make a deal.

  Nothing ever changes, that kind of thing went back to long before the Romans. The ones who wanted to run would be ambushed and used as hostages to get the rest to give in.

  The fighters weren’t strong enough in numbers and the “Peace at any price “ bunch were gonna get them all killed. Well not the females, at least not right away.

  We moved deeper into the broken ground closer to the town and settled in for the night.

  We decided to pass on a fire and spent till dark on a small bit of raised ground watching the place.

  I figured we were about 300 yards away and if my idea worked this could be the ticket to a place for the winter.

  We spent the next two days just watching and waiting. We did build a small fire out of dry wood to make coffee and heat our food. But at night we kept it dark.

  My plan was real simple. I found a good sniper hide with a good overview of the whole area .

  I dug a nice hole to allow me to lay flat and have a perfect spot weld on the 308.

  I picked up rocks and eased them around the front of the hole to give me a bit of cover while I was shooting. I dug into the ammo pack that had my stash of some super good ammo. Federal Gold Medal 308 with a 168 grain Match king HP bullet.

  This stuff in my rifle just flat shoots and at only 300 yards I knew I’d not miss a shot if the target wasn’t moving. I screwed the Suppressor on nice and tight set the bipod just so and all I had to do was just lay down and watch my breathing.

  On another small knoll about 75 yards behind my hide we set one up for Sandy.

  Her and the AK were my security over watch, this allowed me to shoot and not worry about my six. All we had to do was wait and I figured the trash wouldn’t give these folks much time and they didn’t.

  On the morning of the third day we could hear them coming. Most were on one form of Motor Cycle or another. From dirt bikes to three wheelers and the usual assortment of old trucks.

  And there was a lot of them. Both men and women and no kids thank god! Using my 10 power binoculars I counted at least 75 and probably more.

  Which had me looking away from the distraction of their arrival and there was the rest, about 20 were sneaking thru the brush on foot and another 150 yards and they would be in the back end of the small cluster of buildings that made up the town.

  With no choice I moved around a bit and zeroed in on the one in back and touched the trigger, he dropped like a stone. And the next and the next. It wasn’t even like shooting fish in a barrel. Fish have some worth.

  Reload and shoot. I kept shooting until I made a bad hit and he screamed out causing the rest to freeze and turn around.

  In the mean time the ones in front of the townies were yelling about killing all of the people in the town so I swung around and popped the one doing all the yelling and fist shaking. The bullet hit him right in the ear and it looked like his head just blew up. well I mean it did but like all by its self.

  To their credit the town folks took that as an Oman and opened fire with a vengeance taking out a whole slew of the assholes. I couldn’t believe these fools just drove up expecting to have their way and made no attempt to take cover. It was a field day of fish in the barrel.

  Looking at the one who were sneaking in the back door they seemed to be holding a debate so I fired off 5 fast rounds and dropped all five.

  the rest took off for their wheels wherever they were parked.

  Back in front of the town the shooting had let up a little because the dickheads had taken cover from the towns shooters. But unfortunately for them, not from me . So I reloaded and started working on the ones I could see who were alone and out of sight of their buddies.

  My barrel was getting hot so I eased off and just watched as at last they got somebody with a brain and a few laid down an impressive amount of fire while the others ran for their rides and got moving . All dust allowed the shooters to leaped into trucks as they roared away.

  A lot of them didn’t. Sandy eased into place by me and reported as she put it. The “ Back door gomers” were running like the devil was after them which I guess he was. We laid there watching until a few of the townies walked out and looked around.

  At last one cupped his hands and hollered out that it was ok to come out. So I slowly stood up and waited for them to make it over to me. Sandy on her own had slipped away and was in her over watch spot.

  After they got up to where I stood one walked forward and offered his hand and said “ Mister I don’t know who you are but you saved a lot of good people today “and proceeded to introduce himself and his men.

  His name was Jim Barttle and his brother Sam, and the other man was a brother in law named William. They insisted I come into town and meet everybody.

  I told them I’d be right along as soon as I got my gear together but that they needed to check all the bodies and make sure all were dead. He asked how to do that and I said well a 22 slug behind the ear will make sure before one of you gets killed.

  That got his attention and they took off at a run, I yelled out that there was more West of the out buildings he looked confused so I pointed. He looked and then waved and took off after sending his two men to check the ones I pointed out.

  Sandy walked up to me and threw her arms around me and said she loved me and asked if I got killed could she have my 308! She’s a bundle of joy!

  I promised her it was hers .

  About an hour later after the few “ End of the road” shots were done we rode out of the gully’s into sight with Sandy riding behind me with the Ak across her right knee and her finger on the trigger. What a girl!

  When we got to the edge of the town we were met by upwards of a hundred people, all smiling and yelling thank you to us. After we rode thru the barricade we headed to a small building that turned out to be a saloon which turned out to be the meeting hall so to speak.

  I spent a while telling them who we were, where we came from and where we were going. One of the women who looked to be sucking lemons asked if Sandy was my daughter and Sandy said “NO I’
m not! I’m his woman” which got a gasp from lemon face.

  Sandy took it from right there and said. “John saved me from rape and murder and between us we avenged the cold blooded murders of my family including 2 kids. We’ve been together ever since, And where we sleep and what we do is our business and nobody else’s !”

  Well lemon face just froze until Jim spoke up and said “Mildred you’ve been told to stop trying to butt into everybody’s lives around here, one more word and I’ll see you heading out of here on foot“.

  And he pointed out that she was the main pusher for accommodating the raiders who had planned a back door assault while they were all looking the wrong way.

  And he pointed out that while she and her click were pissing their pants I alone took out something like 15 of the trash. It was actually a few more but he was on a roll so why mention it?

  After he finished with Miz Lemon he got to it and reported that close to 50 of the raiders had bought the farm and were being dragged to an old house at the edge of town and piled inside and it would be burned with the fuel from the vehicles they left when they ran.