Avalon: Beyond the Retreat (The Avalon Series Book 2)

by L. Michael Rusin

  The questions the townspeople asked of strangers were fairly routine. Where did you come from? How have you managed to survive all this time? Where have you been? What have you seen along the way? Most of the stragglers’ stories were fairly straightforward and matter-of-fact, but these two would be looked at much more closely because of how they arrived. It wasn’t often anyone was delivered to the outskirts of Fitch by way of slavers.

  Mike veered the plane toward the north away from the main road and then swung it back toward the southeast and landed at the airport just outside of Fitch. The Sheriff was waiting for him when he taxied up to the main building. Caroline, who had become the local doctor, was with Mike on the plane, and she had come to examine the woman. The sentry had reported the woman looked like she was in an advanced stage of pregnancy.

  Caroline wanted to be sure there were no complications or unforeseen problems. Even if they were not allowed to stay, the two would be checked out medically and treated, if necessary, before they were sent on their way. Fitch and Avalon had adopted a policy of humanitarian help to all strangers. No one was ever refused food or medical treatment.

  At the Sheriff’s Office, several people were gathered around waiting for the Sheriff and Mike to arrive. They were happy to see Caroline. She was the doctor to many of them, and they liked her. They all sat down around a large conference table.

  Mike addressed the group, “Look, all that we really know is that it’s a man and woman, and that they seem to be in poor shape. But that doesn’t mean anything. It could all be a front to put us off guard.”

  Many murmured amongst themselves as Mike continued. “We should send out a couple of people to search them and then give them a ride back here. The woman appears very pregnant and a ride instead of that long walk would be more prudent.”

  The Sheriff interjected. “I second that. Let’s do it. Bill, Sherman and Lefty can come with me. Mike, you drive the other squad car. The rest of you wait here. We’ll be back in about half an hour. Let’s go.”

  They walked outside, got in the cars, and headed to the outskirts of Fitch. As they approached the couple, they stopped both cars about fifty feet away, and everyone got out of the vehicles. The man and woman smiled and waved at the group. Mike found that odd. Most people would be scared, if not a little hesitant, at approaching strangers, badge or not. The Sheriff, Bill, Sherman, Lefty and Mike walked toward the couple with their handguns out and held down toward the ground in case they needed them quickly. Despite the evidence of weapons, the couple continued to smile.

  “I’m Sheriff Bob Waters,” he stepped forward. “If you will allow us, we would like to search you. That’s for our protection and yours. Then we will offer you some assistance. Is that okay?”

  Both travelers nodded in the affirmative and stood steadfast as they were searched thoroughly. Once the search was completed the Sheriff motioned to one of the vehicles. “Please get into the car.” They did as they were instructed and they all headed to Fitch. They stopped at the Sheriff’s Office, and once inside, they stepped into the Conference Room and sat down at the table. Some of the people positioned chairs that were stacked up against a wall and scooted them closer to the group.

  The Sheriff spoke first. “Where have you come from?”

  “We have been walking from the ocean, a place south of the Oregon-California border called Ukiah. We were on a fishing vacation when the war broke out. We have more or less been living off the land since. The missus is pregnant and we decided to head inland to find a safe place where she could have the baby. My name is Sam Dunn and this is my wife Millie.”

  Caroline spoke up. “Are either of you hungry or need something to drink?”

  They both said yes at the same time and it caused them to laugh.

  Caroline got up and left the room. In a few minutes she came back with fried chicken, fresh fruit, biscuits, and a large thermos of sweet fruit juice. “Help yourself.” They ate greedily.

  The radio crackled to life at the Armory. The Redding, California, National Guard was calling.

  The Lieutenant on the other end spoke into the microphone, “We have captured two spies posing as a man and wife. They arrived moments ago and asked to be allowed to be let into the community. They had a story to tell and we thought you might want to hear about it.”

  “Okay, let’s hear it.”

  “Roger that. Apparently the slaver leader, a man by the name of Bone Breaker, has come to realize that an assault on any towns of significant size cannot be won by brute force. So, they have resorted to stealth. They are trying to penetrate several towns with these spies to ingratiate themselves through a ruse. They are counting on the mercy of the townspeople to grant them access. In about three months, they plan to open up the gates to their cohorts for a takeover. This particular couple happened to know about the couple going to Fitch. I thought you should know immediately.”

  “Thank you, General Stone… out.”

  The next radio message was to the Sheriff’s office. Marcy received the message and drew the Sheriff off to the side and explained it to him. The Sheriff grabbed Mike by an elbow and directed him away from the people crowded around the man and woman.

  Mike shook his head in acknowledgment and walked back to the group. He was formulating a plan. Later, when everyone was back at their stations and jobs, Mike, Caroline, the Sheriff along with a few others including General Stone had a meeting.

  “Okay everyone,” the Sheriff quietly addressed the group, “we know what some of the plan is. I think we should allow those two to believe we are buying into their scheme and not let on that we suspect a thing. We must know where they are, what they’re doing, every place they go and what they see. We must not reveal our security defenses to them under any circumstances. In particular, the sentry towers and the concrete defenses at either ends of town with the rotation of personnel need to be kept under wraps.”

  Mike continued, “If we treat them with kindness, perhaps we can turn them to our side, but don’t count on it. Caroline will give them medical care, and we’ll feed and house them. We’ll assign them a dwelling to live in with someone living in front, on each side and behind them. They will never wander around freely.”

  He made eye contact with each of them, “We’ll make it a friendly coincidence when they step out of their house that others are moving about at just the same time. A lot can happen in three months.”

  Marcy had another idea. “We need to assign them jobs. I think she could work in the hospital and he could work at the airport with the others cutting the grass. That way they would be around other people all day long and wouldn’t grow suspicious. In the meantime, we could bug the house they’re in and see what intel we can gather.”

  A murmur of agreement went through the small group. They discussed their options and came to an understanding as to how to proceed. They would obtain the equipment to bug the house with low-level FM bugs, listening devices designed to pick even the smallest sound, and transmit to a receiver 20-50 feet away. The house would be monitored by the Sheriff’s Office.

  Slasher began implementing another phase of his plan, organizing groups of thirty-five men and twenty-five women. Each group was outfitted with everything it would take for them to be on the road for two weeks or more. They loaded their trucks and motorcycles and took an inventory of weapons, ammo, food, cooking equipment, and sleeping accessories.

  When it was determined where each group would travel to, and what their outer distances would be, they cleared those plans with Bone Breaker. It was a necessity that irritated Slasher immensely. He knew his plans were well thought out and it rubbed him the wrong way… having to get approval from anyone.

  For the time being, however, that was the way it had to be. He didn’t like it, but he was smart enough to realize that this was not the time to be making waves. It was better to let the big guy become a bigger target for when the time was right. Patience was, in his own estimation, his greatest ally.

  A
fter Bone Breaker approved the plans, they waited several days until each group began to move out. One group proceeded down the beach highway to see if they could determine what happened to the missing group. Though most speculated the plague had gotten them, this group had orders to travel the same route and, hopefully, come back with some answers.

  The small community of Weed, along with many small residential districts in between, were to be explored and evaluated for conquest. Another group proceeded toward Susanville and another down Highway 101 toward San Francisco. One of the bands was assigned the route that led to Yuba City and Napa since both were on the list to be scouted. Placerville was the final destination of the last group.

  In all, two hundred ten men and one hundred fifty women moved out to their destinations when the time came. They didn’t plan on attacking any of the principal locations during this part of the plan, but instead to simply observe and see what intelligence they could gather to further map out a strategy that might deliver those areas into submission at a later time.

  They contemplated surrounding an area for siege, or perhaps conduct sneak attacks and then immediately draw back to a position of safety. Other ideas were considered, such as keeping what had already been put into place, inserting spies into a large group, and then taking it over later by stealth and subterfuge.

  As the groups traveled the highways heading for their respective destinations, hundreds of small out of the way towns were discovered… Burney, Chester, Sierra Ville and Quincy were along the way toward Bishop.

  They stopped and conquered the smaller communities one-by-one, winning the easy ones and losing a few that appeared easy but were fortified too well to take over. The outlaws weren’t interested in a prolonged firefight. They wanted easy pickings, so they moved on from the harder fights that weren’t worth losing gang members.

  The town of Castellon fell easily. When the outlaws approached the small town, the people scurried away like rabbits. There were perhaps twenty people, mostly middle aged, and no children. There were no sentries anywhere and the entrance to the small town was wide open.

  These people had set into place a number of innovations that were functioning. A small waterwheel mill that was being used as an alternate power source, as well as a grinding wheel that crushed corn and other food into meal. It also connected straps to gears to run a saw for cutting trees into useable lumber.

  Few of the people were armed, and the town was set afire before the criminals moved on. Other than the adults, who would be traded as slaves, the haul in this place was minimal. There were no firearms to be stolen, since the townspeople were “pacifists” and did not believe in firearms.

  It was a choice that doomed them since they were unable to defend themselves from these felons.

  The slavers moved on toward the south.

  Chapter 15

  The Unraveling

  AFTER THE MEETING, the representatives from Fitch and Avalon had a good idea as to what the slavers were planning. It was really quite brilliant… the thugs were on a mission to divide and conquer communities from within.

  Their easy pickings from unarmed victims were about used up, so their only remaining option was to attack the small groups of armed citizens standing their ground. The best way to win that war, however, was using their Trojan horse routine. They would have to overtake and ravage the smaller towns to obtain the rations, arms and other provisions they would need to continue up the food chain.

  Since they didn’t know the size of the slaver group or the amount of arms and supplies they had at their disposal, the people of Avalon and Fitch found it prudent and in the best interest of everyone to plan for the worst, and hope for the best. The number one priority would be to locate and consolidate survivors, arms, and supplies throughout the surrounding area in the shortest time possible.

  Once this was done, they would be able to determine key strongholds that needed to be moved, and fortify the surrounding assets. They instituted a system of rapid communication throughout the small communities to preclude any surprises the un-friendlies had to offer. Most stragglers hid at the approach of any aircraft and it was difficult to coax them out of hiding.

  There wasn’t time to meet with every small group, so they developed a plan to drop leaflets from the air, and then return and attempt to land and speak with the people in charge. The work was tedious and the use of valuable gas was prodding some to question if the effort was worthwhile.

  Mike and the Sheriff conducted two meetings… the first was at Fitch. Around four hundred people were present when Mike took the stage. The two spies were off on a small job away from the gathering. They were accompanied by several people in a ruse search for an apple orchard. The pregnant woman was along more or less for the ride. She sat in one of the horse-drawn wagons and waited for the search party to return.

  “Here’s the deal,” Mike spoke loud enough for all to hear, “we want everyone to be aware of what we’re doing. It is our intent to find and stay in touch with as many people as we can throughout the entire state. Imagine we are fisherman… casting our net out and hoping to bring in a good catch.”

  He stopped talking and looked into the crowd. “The survivors out there struggling to make it from one day to the next are important to all of us. It is imperative that we find as many people as possible to ensure our safety, their safety and the safety of the state as a whole. It would be nice to band together and defend just one location, but that’s not practical, so the next best option is to reach out and give guidance to make sure everyone can be the kind of citizen-soldiers we are at Avalon and Fitch.”

  “My duty as an official member of what is left of our military, acting in that capacity as an Admiral, along with General Randal as the man in charge of the National Guard of California, and Beth, who you all know is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the west coast, is to make every effort to bring our people, wherever they are, into a cohesive citizen army for our mutual protection.” Those present started shouting and clapping in agreement.

  Mike waited for them to quiet before continuing. “We are sending out as many people as we can spare to find others and to inform them of our plan… and you are the first to hear it. We know the slavers are going to try to attack us when they think they can manage a win. Unlike us, they don’t grow their own food and have no capacity to build anything. They sweep down on the helpless and take what they want and leave utter disaster and sorrow in their wake. We’re going to make every effort to stop them… permanently.” The crowd yelled in agreement once again. Many of those present had lost loved ones to the slavers, and were ready for some sweet revenge.

  Mike continued. “Let’s not make war strictly out of vengeance. That concept will generate an attitude that will surely get out of hand. We will prevail, but not without lawful consideration. We are not a mob… we are citizen-soldiers. If we deliver justice to these brigands, we will act on mutual consent of ‘We the People’.”

  “Tomorrow,” he continued, “we will begin to deliver our message to all points south, east and west. We’ll send our people to any group that needs our expertise. We’re not going out to protect these people. We are, however, going to teach them everything we can. They will have to fight their own battles and protect themselves. If they aren’t capable of defending themselves now, for whatever reasons, we’ll encourage them to join other groups… or they will be left on their own. We don’t have the resources or the manpower to spread out to defend any single group. What we can do is arm them and train them in basic protection. We can show them how to build defensive fortifications and offer any aid we can spare.”

  Once the discussion was over the group broke up. Everyone knew someone they could trust… someone they could talk to about the new plan. The next day several motorized hang gliders and gyro copters headed out for designated locations. Three of those aircraft saw motorcycle gangs headed in the same direction. They appeared to be in groups of about forty men and some women, but
it wasn’t possible to make an exact count.

  The aircraft continued on ahead of the motorcycles to their respective destinations. When they landed, they were able to forewarn the residents of what was coming so that those residents would be able to form a defense against the gang.

  In every case, whenever the bikers came up against a group that was prepared to fight, the louts moved on in search of easier pickings. Each group was presented with the plan of Avalon and Fitch… to train and to arm them, or to be left alone, was their decision. Representatives from Bishop and other outlying groups were present to listen and offer their input.

  The survivors of World War III were slowly getting organized and prepared for whatever came their way. Over the course of the next two weeks, the groups out and away from everything, and the people from the principal towns in the area began a concentrated effort to better defend themselves.

  They became better armed, thanks to Admiral Reynold’s efforts and his influence at the new Capital in Chicago, Illinois. Airplanes with crates of armaments, bullets, medical supplies and explosives began to land at Fitch.

  The men from the Chicago area found tractor trailers and loaded them from various building supply and material centers. Abandoned mobile home dealerships were sought out and their inventory was made available to accommodate the survivors. Motorcycle shops and dealerships were emptied out for use by the townspeople.

  A frantic but methodical building spurt began, aimed at defending the towns. Construction of protective blockades hit a feverish pitch. In two weeks, the defenses were adequate and could be easily expanded. Then training would begin.

  Men from Avalon, Fitch, and Bishop, who had already undergone intensive training, were sent out in groups of three or four to instruct others in tactics, field first aid, shooting techniques and defensive postures. They were taught how to dig latrines and wells, set up perimeter sentries and maintain a military-style watch system. California was becoming an armed camp and a self-sustained society of small armies scattered all over the state.