Forsaking Home (The Survivalist Series)

by A. American

  “That’s where you’re wrong. You are going. One way or another,” Danny said.

  “What gives you the right to tell us that? You ain’t shit. We ain’t going anywhere,” Walt said.

  Danny raised the muzzle of his carbine so it was pointing at Walt’s chest. “This gives me the right.”

  “I know you think you’re King Shit on Turd Island, pushing those college kids around, but you aren’t going to push us around. You’re a liability to our security and you’ve gotta go,” I said.

  “Or what, you gonna shoot us up?” Andy asked.

  “That is entirely up to you,” Danny said.

  “So where are we supposed to go?”

  “We’ll take you some place where you can set up a new camp, it’ll just be far from here,” I said.

  “Wherever you take me, I’ll find my way back,” Andy said with a chuckle.

  “Come back and we’ll kill you. This is your only chance,” Danny said.

  “Now what?”

  “Time to pack up. Where’s your shotgun?”

  “You ain’t taking my shotgun, old man.”

  “We’ll give it back to you later, but for now we’ll hang on to it.”

  Andy glared at Danny. “If I’d known you assholes were gonna be like this, I’da shot your asses when you showed up.”

  “Yeah, well, you missed that opportunity. Now where is it?”

  “I ain’t tellin’!”

  “Keep an eye on them. It’s got to be in the tent,” I said as I stepped toward it.

  “You two get over here and sit on this log,” Danny said, motioning with the barrel of his carbine. Neither of them moved. “Now!” Danny shouted.

  Reluctantly, they moved to the log and sat down. I knelt down and stuck my head in the tent. Nearly gagging, I jerked my head back.

  “Oh my God, that stinks.” Looking back at the two on the log, I asked, “How in the hell can you guys sleep in there?”

  Andy simply shook his head and shrugged.

  Inhaling deeply, I stuck my head back into the tent, using the light on my carbine to search for the shotgun. My lungs quickly began to complain as I searched through the soiled, damp sleeping bags. Finally when I didn’t think I could hold my breath another fraction of a second longer, I saw the muzzle under one of the bags and quickly pulled it out.

  Letting out a huge breath, I stood up, shotgun in hand. “Got it.”

  “All right, you two pack this shit up,” Danny said.

  Walt and Andy went about packing up their soggy camp as Danny and I watched. Their idea of packing the camp consisted of taking the tents down and wadding them into a ball with their contents still inside. They collected their cooking equipment and tossed it on top of everything, not bothering to wash anything out.

  “This place is a fucking mess,” Danny said.

  “Yeah, they live like damn animals.”

  “Sorry we don’t meet your approval. We ain’t got a nice cabin to live in,” Walt said.

  “Shut up,” Danny snarled. Turning to me, he quietly asked, “Where are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking Salt Springs. I know a place up there we can take them, out in the middle of the woods.”

  “That’s kinda close, isn’t it?” Danny asked as we got in the buggy.

  “A little, but I don’t want to go far. It’s too dangerous. I don’t want to get myself killed over these losers.”

  As he started the buggy, he replied, “Yeah, I guess not.”

  “Now what?” Andy asked.

  “Turn around,” Danny said as he pulled a length of paracord from his pocket.

  “Why, you tying us up?” Walt asked.

  “Yep.”

  “This is bullshit!” Andy shouted.

  “It is what it is, now turn around,” I said. They tried to fight me a little, but some swift kicks to the shins made the process a lot easier.

  Once they were tied up and loaded into the buggy, we headed back toward the cabins. By the time we got back to the camp, Thad had already cooked up the grits. He was standing with one foot up on the bench, resting his elbows on his knees, watching the three scrape the sides of their bowls. Thad looked up as we approached.

  I looked at the nearly empty pot. “Guess you guys were hungry.”

  Brain looked up. “You have no idea—there’s just nothing out there to eat.”

  “Did you find our camp?” Julie asked, hesitation in her voice.

  “We found it,” Danny said. “Your buddies too.”

  The three looked toward the buggy, where Andy and Walt were still sitting.

  “Any grits left in that pot, Thad?” I asked.

  Thad was looking at the buggy as well. “Yeah, how many are there?”

  “Just two,” Danny said as he walked off to get them.

  He followed them back to the table, telling them to have a seat with their friends.

  “Thanks for ratting us out,” Walt said.

  “Leave ’em be, Walt. We’ll deal with this later,” Andy said.

  Thad slid bowls of grits in front of the two boys. Walt immediately started to eat the meager portion of grits while Andy eyed the bowl with suspicion. “What’s this?”

  “What’s it look like?” Thad asked.

  Andy took up a spoon and sampled a small bite. “These are the worst grits I’ve ever tasted!”

  Thad reached over and grabbed the bowl. “Then don’t eat ’em.”

  Andy reached out with his bound hands, grabbing the bowl. “Hang on, there, biggun, didn’t say I wouldn’t eat it, damn.”

  Thad let go and set the bowl in front of him. Despite them being the worst grits Andy ever tasted, he was soon scraping the sides of the bowl for every last piece.

  “At daylight, we’ll take you to your new home,” I said.

  Julie looked at the two guys. “Where are you taking us?”

  “To a place much like this one, just farther away.”

  “And remember what we said, should you find your way back here it will not end well for you,” Danny said, looking at Andy.

  Julie looked at the carbine he cradled and nodded.

  “Don’t worry, there ain’t that many places they can take us,” Andy said, then looked at Danny. “I can find our way back.”

  “You’re just too damn stupid for your own good, aren’t you?” Danny asked.

  “You think we should take him to his dad?” Thad asked.

  I looked at Andy. “No, you heard what Chase said about him.”

  Andy’s eyes narrowed. “What’d he say?”

  We ignored him. “Let’s build a fire and hang out till sunup now that the rain’s stopped,” Danny said.

  “I could use a fire,” Jeff said.

  Instead of just building the fire on the wet ground, we laid several logs on the ground and started the fire on top of them. By slowly building the fire up, we managed to get it going strong and hot in short order. Our guests were still sitting under the canopy, far from the warmth of the fire.

  “Can we move closer to the fire? I’m cold,” Julie said.

  “Yeah, me too. I want to sit by the fire,” Andy said.

  “We’ll let you sit by the fire, but if you try anything we’ll be feeding your carcass to the gators in the creek,” Danny said.

  “We won’t do anything, I promise,” Brian said.

  “I’m not into committing suicide yet,” Franco said as Thad untied his hand.

  “You ain’t got to worry about me an’ ole Walt,” Andy said.

  “You three sit in these chairs,” I said, arranging three chairs with their backs to the creek. “Andy, you and Walt sit over here.” I pointed to two chairs close to the picnic table.

  “Why, so you can keep yer eye on us?”

  Jeff walked around t
hem and sat facing them across the fire with his AK in his lap. I sat down beside him and started thinking about the hog we were going to slaughter.

  “What were you guys going to do with that hog if you got it? Do you know how to butcher one?” I asked.

  “We’d have found a way,” Brian said.

  “Have you ever butchered anything, anything at all?”

  “We’ve caught some fish,” Julie said.

  “A fish is a far cry from a hog,” Thad said.

  “Yeah, well, if you’re hungry you’ll do anything.”

  “I can butcher a hog. Like I said before, they do their part and I do mine,” Andy said smugly.

  “Doubtful. I don’t know what’s worse, the thought that you guys were going to steal one of our hogs or the fact that you would have wasted so much of it,” Danny said.

  Franco looked up. “Somehow it’s a waste if we eat it, but it’s not if you do?”

  “It’s our hog, so yes. And we know what to do with one, so nothing will go to waste.”

  “See, that’s what I mean. No one wants to help. It’s our hog. See how you think?”

  “It’s only yours if you can hang on to it.” Andy smiled. “Possession is nine-tenths of the law.”

  “Something that belongs to us is ours, not yours to steal. Sure, you could ask for it, but we aren’t obligated to give you a damn thing.” The statement had pissed me off, so I continued, “Franco, how much charity did you do before? How much did you give away while you spent your daddy’s money at that expensive-ass school? I bet I know. Not a fucking cent. It’s funny how fast people want to share in what others have when they have nothing. Unlike you, we do believe in charity. But it’s got to benefit those who deserve it.”

  “Doesn’t do us any good,” Brian muttered.

  “So, you’re pissed at us for looking out for ourselves when you’re doing—trying to do—the same thing. You’re worried about you and that’s okay. We’re worried about us, and somehow in your screwed-up mind it’s wrong of us?” Danny asked.

  “You people are fucked in the head,” Jeff added. He always had a way with words.

  “Their opinion isn’t worth shit. They’re gone tomorrow.” I paused to look at them. “Be glad you’re leaving here. I could just as easily shoot you.”

  “Yeah, big man with a gun. Is that how you solve your problems, shoot them?” Brian said.

  “Like you said, it’s about survival.”

  Andy sat back in his chair. “He wouldn’t shoot anyone. He ain’t got it in him.”

  I looked at Andy. “An’ I suppose you have? You think you’re some kind of badass? It’s just big talk in front of your friends here. First, you’re full of shit. Second, you don’t know a damn thing about me.”

  Andy didn’t respond. They didn’t have anything else to say, so we all sat around the fire watching the flames. As the sky began to lighten I got up and went to the cabin. Inside, Mel and Bobbie were asleep. I tiptoed around the girls and gave Mel a shake. “Hey.”

  She sat up quickly, looking around the cabin. “What, what is it?”

  “Nothing, I’m going to go take these people and get rid of them.”

  She looked shocked. “What do you mean, get rid of them?”

  “I’m taking them up into the forest and dropping their asses off. They’ll have a hard time finding their way back.”

  She nodded. “Oh.”

  “I’m going to wake up the girls. They need to keep an eye on things here. Three of us have to go.”

  She nodded and I gently shook Taylor and Lee Ann to wake them. “Hey, you two, you need to get up.”

  Taylor sat up. “What’s going on?”

  “I need you two to help keep an eye on things. Get dressed, get your guns, and come out.”

  Lee Ann rolled over. “Dad, where’s my gun?”

  I paused. Ever since Thad had spoken with her, her spirits were brightened. I did trust her with it again, I decided. “I’ll get it. Now hurry up. Jeff is staying with you guys.”

  I got Lee Ann’s H&K and set it by the door, then went back out to the fire pit.

  “Let’s get them tied up and into the wagon,” I said.

  “You don’t need to tie us up. We’re not going to do anything,” Julie said.

  Andy held his hands up. “You ain’t no better’n us.”

  I looked at Julie blankly as I picked up a length of rope. “Get up.”

  Reluctantly, she held her hands out. “Behind your back,” I said.

  “Oh, come on, this is ridiculous!” Brian said as he jumped up.

  Jeff raised the AK and flipped the safety off with a loud click. “I suggest you shut the fuck up and sit down. We’ll decide what’s ridiculous.”

  The kid stood there for a moment, glaring at us, before giving in. Thad then came jogging over. “Hey, don’t forget these,” he said, holding up a few bandannas.

  “You’re going to blindfold us?” Brian asked.

  “Yeah, I’m not going to make it easy on you to find your way back.”

  “Are you kidding me?! What are you afraid of?” Franco said.

  “I know what he’s afraid of,” Andy said. “You ain’t putting that on me.”

  I smiled. “This isn’t for me, it’s for you. It’s this or a plastic bag, which do you want?”

  “How is blindfolding us good for us?” Julie asked.

  With a straight face I said, “Because if you were to find your way back we’d have to kill you.”

  As we shoved them into the vehicles, I surveyed the scene around us. Fog was forming in pockets, appearing like a cloud clinging to the ground. The vapor swirled around our legs, giving everything the look of a low-grade horror movie. I guess, in some ways, this situation was like a horror movie. I could only hope we had a happy ending.

  Chapter 21

  Doc and Mike were standing in front of the infirmary when Ted skidded to a stop. They quickly opened Sarge’s door and helped him out. The women in the back got out as well and started trying to drag Aric out. Doc looked at Aric. “Who the hell is that?”

  “That’s the fucker who shot me,” Sarge said as he threw an arm over Doc’s shoulder.

  “You two get him inside. I’ll help the girls get him,” Ted said.

  Mike and Doc helped get him inside, where the infirmary staff was waiting for him. A woman in scrubs pointed to a stretcher on wheels. “Get him up on here.”

  “Ted, can I borrow your sunglasses?” Jess asked. “We need to get Mary out, but the light hurts my eyes.”

  “I’ll get her, then we’ll see if we can find you guys something.”

  Ted pulled Mary out of the truck. He was surprised how light she was, it was like picking up a child. Jess had pulled another stretcher over by the door. He laid Mary out and Jess slowly wheeled her inside.

  Before getting him on the table, Mike took Sarge’s weapon while Doc and Ted helped him get his body armor off. A woman in scrubs began cutting his pants off.

  “Don’t cut my belt!” Sarge shouted as he started trying to get it off.

  Mike slapped his hands away. “I’ll get it.”

  Sarge laid his head back, a thin smile on his face. “You’ve always wanted to do that.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself, old man.”

  Once the belt was off, the woman finished cutting the pants and removed the dressing.

  Doc inspected the wound. “It didn’t exit. It’s still in there.”

  “We need to probe the wound and see if we can find the bullet,” the woman replied.

  “What’ve you got for pain?” Doc asked.

  “We’ve got ketamine,” the woman said as she pulled over a cart with several drawers in it.

  “I don’t need that shit,” Sarge protested.

  “Let’s get a line started on him,”
Doc said as he tied a thick rubber band around Sarge’s arm.

  Once the IV was started, they injected the ketamine, which had the effect of making Sarge talkative. They probed the wound and succeeded in finding the bullet, extracting it one piece at a time, as he babbled on about completely random stuff. It wasn’t long before they were bandaging him back up. Another small bag was connected to the IV line, which contained kanamycin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic.

  Once Sarge was resting, Mike and Ted walked over to the nurse and Doc. “How is he?” Mike asked.

  “He was lucky. The bullet hit his prosthetic implant,” the woman said.

  “His what?” Mike asked.

  “His artificial hip,” Doc said. “He’s had an artificial hip replacement.”

  Mike looked down at Sarge. “No shit, I didn’t know he’d had that done.”

  “Me neither. What’s the prognosis?” Ted asked.

  “We’ve got him on an antibiotic. The wound wasn’t that bad, so he should heal up fine,” Doc said.

  “How long is he going to be laid up? He’s not going to be happy to be out of the action,” Mike said.

  “It all depends on him. Some people heal faster than others,” the nurse said.

  “He’ll heal fast. He’s too damn mean to be laid up long.” Mike laughed.

  “Well, he needs to rest right now. He’s lost some blood. He’ll probably be down for a week or two,” the nurse said.

  Ted and Mike nodded and left the room. They made their way to the next one, where two attendants were working on Aric.

  “How is he?” Ted asked.

  “His arm has a lot of trauma. The bullet blew open the back of his bicep. It’s going to take a long time to heal. The best thing for him is a delayed closure. We debrided the wound and left it open. It’ll need to be cleaned and rebandaged every day,” one of the attendants said.

  “He’s lucky that’s all that happened to him,” Ted said, then glanced at Fred.

  Jess was sitting in a chair beside Mary, watching the goings on from across the hall. With Mary still passed out, Jess decided it would be okay to leave for a moment. She walked up beside Mike, who was still looking at Aric with suspicion.

  “He let us out. He was helping us,” she said, gently touching his shoulder.