by Newman, AJ
“No. You know we can’t have a big antenna sticking up out of the trees. I think I have another solution. I found some industrial drones and thought I might lift an antenna into the sky and then rewind it when not needed. I don’t think that will work, but it did give me the idea to find a few large balloons like companies use to fly advertisements high above their businesses.”
Granny B chuckled. “That’ll work. Necessity is a mother.”
*
Chapter 18
The Clark Ranch
Tom strolled out of his room and yawned on his way to breakfast. He was disappointed because Kate wasn’t beside him when he woke for the morning. It had been her turn on guard duty, and she’s already pulled her two hours and was enjoying a cup of coffee when Tom entered the kitchen. The magnificent aroma of bacon floated through the air and made Tom’s mouth water, but he steered toward a cup of the black liquid he needed to jump-start his day. Kate handed him a cup and kissed him.
“I think you’re sleepwalking,” she said
She was honored with a grunt, and then Tom swallowed a mouthful of the prized black gold. “I’m alive! What the hell will we do when we run out of coffee?”
Everyone stopped and was in deep thought when Granny B said, “I’ll miss my tea after supper.”
Jackie’s eyes flared. “I already miss chocolate.”
Kate snickered. “Birth control.”
Tom said, “Hospitals and modern medicine.”
Bill growled. “I’ll miss gasoline. I’m too old to start walking everywhere. I guess I’ll get better at riding a horse.”
Alice looked down. “I already miss my soap operas. I don’t know if Jamie and Julie got married or if Wally found a cure for cancer.”
Tom broke out laughing, and Alice blushed. Tom said, “I won’t miss any commercials or cable TV. They were all spinning the news to promote their agenda and kept the country’s problems hidden.”
No one spoke for a few minutes. Tom asked, “What kind of novel ideas do you have for using a drone around the ranch? I found a half dozen or so of the commercial grade drones during our scavenging trip.”
Jack quickly answered. “We could watch the cattle remotely? Maybe catch some rustlers before they slaughter our cows.”
Bill pondered the question. “We used them in law enforcement to surveil criminal activity. How long can these things stay up in the air?”
“Good question. Perhaps I need to read the manuals and run some tests before challenging you all to give me ideas. Before we play with the drones, we need to make a run back down into town to liberate some food and other supplies. I think we should hit Talent this time,” Tom said.
Kate wiggled in her seat. “I’ll volunteer to read the manuals. My uncle and cousin had a couple of drones, and I’ve flown them several times. I’ll stay and study the drones to become our drone guru.”
Tom smiled at his beautiful wife. “You have the job. Maybe Greta and Lucy can help you.”
***
The city of Talent hadn’t yet recovered from a series of wildfires that swept up their way from north Ashland. The fires of 2020 had devastated the area, and the fires during the summer of 2033 added insult to injury. The fires of 2020 were found to be caused by careless bums camped out in north Ashland. The fires of 2033 were arson, caused by the riots when Talent and Ashland had had enough, rounded up the homeless and drugged-out hordes, and put them in jail.
Tom and Bill surveyed the area from the hulk of a burned-out barn. They saw a mixture of newly-built homes and vacant lots. A few of the lots had concrete foundations and brick chimneys still standing after five years had passed. James and Alice joined Tom and Bill in the barn. James said, “The feed store was looted, but they only took the obvious items. There are plenty of bulk and packaged seeds. There’s everything from fifty-pound bags of bulk corn seed to the small packages of garden seeds.”
Jerry chimed into the conversation. “I’ve found a couple of older trucks at an auto repair shop a block over. One started, and the other just needs a battery. I loaded cases of oil, some tires, and other spare parts into the one that runs. I’d like to bring both to the ranch when we leave.”
Tom gave Jerry a pat on the back. “Good job. See if you can fill the gas tanks and maybe get some extra gas. We’ll top off the bed with some of the bulk bags of seeds.”
James asked, “Is the other truck a straight shift?”
Jerry replied, “Yes, we can replace the battery and push start it. I’ve already topped off the tanks and have another twenty gallons of fuel.”
Tom saw something that looked like a deflated beach ball in James’s pile of seeds from the feed store. He pointed at the object. “What’s that?”
Jerry pointed at the object. “It’s a big red balloon for drawing attention to a business having a sale. I found two of those and one larger one shaped like the Goodyear blimp. I also found several cylinders of helium.”
“Great. We can use them to lift Granny B’s antenna into the air.”
A short while later, Alice got their attention. “Hey! Someone is coming this way.”
They all scurried for cover. Tom saw four adults and a couple of teenaged kids following behind. “I think they’re only out scavenging. Hey! Wait … a … minute. The two men behind the others have guns aimed at the ones in front. Let’s find out who the bad guys are.”
The group walked in front of the barn. Tom heard the two men with the guns talking among themselves. “We don’t have to do this. We can just say we killed them.”
“How long do you think our families would live if Carlos or his henchmen find out we didn’t get rid of these dissenters.”
“We could let them go and then get our families and leave the area. I can’t abide killing innocent people, especially kids.”
Tom nocked the bolt, aimed, and let the bolt fly from the crossbow. It struck the man in the chest and pierced his heart. He dropped his pistol, clutched the end of the bolt, and fell to the ground. The other man dropped his gun and raised his hands. “Don’t shoot. Please don’t kill me.”
“Keep your hands up!” Tom said and then turned to the other people. “James, cut their bindings.”
Tom watched as James cut the ropes used to tie the family’s hands behind their backs. “Why were these men going to kill you?”
The man spoke. “Because I was overheard complaining about how Carlos was living in luxury while the rest of us barely had anything to eat. One of my neighbors turned us in. I should have kept my mouth shut and fled into the hills as my friends did over the last month.”
Tom looked over the man, his wife, and two teenage children. They wore clean clothes and appeared to have bathed recently. “How bad is it in Ashland?”
“Not horrible if you buy into Mendoza being Ashland’s savior and fearless leader who provides for his flock,” the man replied.
Tom shook his head and looked the man in the eye. “What about those who don’t like Mendoza?”
The man said, “I’m Alan Green. This is my wife, Kendra, my son, Joe, and daughter, Billie.”
Tom didn’t fully trust the family. “I’m Tom. Now, how did they treat people who dissented?”
“They don’t exist very long. Mendoza has rewards for his faithful for turning in anyone who makes a negative comment about Mendoza or his policies. I bitched about the extravagant parties at Mendoza’s mansion. The rest of us were forced to work twelve-hour days on just enough food to keep us alive. You see where that got me.”
Tom was warming to Alan and his family. “What should we do with this man who held a gun on you?”
Alan said, “This was supposed to be his test to see if he was loyal. He’d already whispered to me that he would shoot the other bastard and let us go. I don’t know him, so I just don’t know if he would have followed through.”
Tom thought for a minute and motioned for James to bring the captive over to him. “Were you going to kill these people?”
“No! I p
lanned to kill Roy and let them free. Then, I was going to sneak back into town and take my family away from here.”
Alice had been watching and pulled Tom to the side. “I like the family. I don’t know what to think about the other man. He could have already killed the other asshat.”
Tom also felt good about the family and felt like he might be going out on a limb with what he was about to offer. “James, take Roy back to the barn. Alan, would you like to join us? We have a secure location up in the mountains and have food, water, and shelter. You will be expected to work as hard as the rest of us and eat the same food we eat. Our leaders work and eat with us. You will also be expected to fight to keep our little community safe when necessary. We don’t go looking for fights. Our success is based on keeping a low profile and hiding from the rest of the world.”
Alan looked at his wife, and she nodded. “We don’t have anywhere to go, so this sounds good to us. What will you do with him?”
“I don’t want to take a chance on him but don’t want to kill him either. We’ll place a blindfold on him and drop him off along the way home so we can be long gone from here in case he runs to Carlos’s men.”
“Thanks.”
Tom frowned. “A word of warning. You will be held for a month in a secure area, so you won’t know our location. You’re free to leave any time before the end of that month. You will evaluate us as we evaluate you. If you decide to stay, you can never leave. Revealing the location of our compound is punishable by death. Several of the men and their families around you went through this process. Talk with them and the other families who joined us.”
Alan spoke. “We want to join your group.”
“Okay, you will be placed in the back of our truck, blindfolded, and driven around until you don’t have a clue where you’re at. Then you’ll be taken to one of our locations and live for a month before going to your new home.”
Alan asked, “Would it be possible to rescue others who want to escape Mendoza’s tyranny?”
“We’ll see.”
Kendra touched Tom’s arm. “Tom, there’s a red-headed woman who leads a small group of freedom fighters who harass Mendoza’s men and help people escape. She was wounded during their last attack, and we hid her in our root cellar. She’ll die if someone doesn’t go to get her before they find her.”
“Where is your home located?”
“It’s only a mile northwest of here.”
They were able to get three trucks running and loaded them with the seeds, supplies, and auto parts. Tom took Kate and Jerry with him in the Dodge and sent the others back home.
Jerry asked, “Why are we risking our necks for a woman we don’t know?”
Kate said, “She’s been helping to free people and has been fighting Carlos for months. She should be exactly the kind of person we want to join our group.”
*
Chapter 19
Granny B’s Cabin by the cave.
Jackie had been on guard duty at the cabin by the cave for the past hour. Her two-hour shift was almost up when she saw the first coyote. She took her crossbow from her backpack and nocked a bolt. Gunfire could draw attention to their location and would only be used if they were attacked. The coyote could smell her but hadn’t seen her on top of the cabin yet. Jackie knew the beasts traveled in packs, and kept a close eye on the horses tied up beside the cabin.
As expected, the rest of the pack emerged from the shadows and headed for the horses. Jackie took aim at the leader and shot a bolt through its chest into its heart. She cocked the crossbow, nocked another bolt, and shot another coyote. Before Jackie could reload, the remaining monsters ran back into the woods. She made a mental note to convince Tom to start a war on the beasts.
Jackie had just gotten comfortable again when she saw the trucks drive up the valley from the east. Even in the dark, she recognized the lead farm truck. It was Tom and his team returning from their scavenger hunt. She was surprised at the line of trucks behind Jerry’s farm truck. She’d only expected to see Tom’s Dodge, Jerry’s farm truck, and perhaps one other vehicle. There were four trucks of all sizes, and all were loaded to the gills. Then she gasped. “I don’t see Tom’s truck.”
Jackie greeted her friends. “Hello! Where’s Tom, Kate, and Jerry?”
Bill walked up to Jackie. “They went to rescue someone before Carlos’s men find her. Hey, Tom brought a family into our group. He told me to hold them inside the cabin and cave for the next month during their trial period.”
Jackie rubbed her hands together. “Granny B will shit a brick, but Tom is our leader. Move them into the cabin, and I’ll do the best I can at indoctrination and cover our rules. Bill, could you get with the others and help figure out what work they can do to help out around here?”
Greta overheard them talking. “I planned to start raising rabbits and goats over here. The kids can help me.”
Jackie replied, “Let’s get them bedded down for the rest of the night and start after everyone gets rested. I’ll turn the kids over to you. Please make sure they don’t run around the cave and fall into one of the holes.”
***
Rick and Granny B walked into the kitchen at the same time. They did a double take when they saw Greta fixing breakfast for two kids they’d never seen before. Granny B fetched a cup of coffee and sat beside Greta. Rick sat on Greta’s other side.
“Greta, maybe you should introduce these children to the rest of us.”
“Of course, this tow-headed young man is Joe Green, and the beautiful young lady is his younger sister, Billie. Their parents are fast asleep in the back bedroom. Tom brought them back to join us. Jackie is scheduled to perform their orientation later this morning. Bill told me to tell you that all proper protocols were followed to the T when they brought them here. He’ll go over the rest of the story when he wakes up.”
Granny B said, “How nice. This is just wonderful.”
Greta replied, “Jackie bet you’d use much more colorful words.”
“I’m not done with the topic, but I don’t believe in shooting the messenger.”
Greta choked down a laugh. “The messenger is very, very grateful.”
Granny B looked the kids over. “Son, what’s your name?”
“I’m Joe Green, and this is my sister, Billie. Thanks for taking us into your home.”
The boy’s politeness pleased Granny B. “My, My, you’re a polite, young lad.”
Joe replied, “Mom always tells us to be nice to elderly people and strangers.”
Granny B snorted. “So, you think I’m elderly! Okay, I am a bit older than you two are. Now tell me why you think you had to leave your home and come here.”
Joe thought for a few seconds. “When the lights went out, a gang came to town and took over. They killed people who didn’t like them. They don’t believe in free speech or people’s rights. Dad said we had to get out of there before they killed us. They caught us before we could leave.”
Granny B extended her hand. “I’m Granny B, and you two are welcome in my home.”
Bill walked into the cabin. “Good morning. Rick, we brought four truckloads of supplies, seeds, and auto parts. Tom wants about half of what we brought back stored in the cave. The rest will go into the bunker at the ranch. Sorry, but we need to store the seeds down on this end of the cave. We already unloaded the rest of what goes here into the supply rooms at the other end.”
“Granny B, Greta, and I are the only ones awake now. Greta, I can help you take the stuff into the mouth of the cave, and then we can move it later,” Rick replied.
Joe said, “I can help carry stuff.”
Bill looked at the seventeen-year-old boy. “I’ll bet you can help us. Come on, and we’ll start packing the supplies through the front door. Greta, could you open the door to the cave?”
Granny B asked, “Where’s Tom and Kate?”
“They took Jerry with them to go to Alan’s home to fetch their supplies and a wounded female resistance
fighter,” Bill said.
Granny B frowned. “Who is she?”
“I don’t know. Alan’s wife said she was a red-headed woman who hates Carlos. They’re taking her back to the ranch was the last I heard. That’s all I know,” Bill said.
Granny B said, “Jackie, please saddle our horses. We’re riding back to the ranch.”
***
Tom surveyed the farm in front of him. “That should be their home over there—the one with the stone walls. The root cellar is hidden next to the barn with the entrance inside the barn. Alan told me how to open the door and that the cellar is half-full of canned food. The woman is in a hidden room that goes under the yard between the barn and house. I’ll park in the barn. Jerry, open the barn doors when we get there. We’ll hide the truck and load all the food and then the woman inside the barn where no one can see us.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let’s roll,” Jerry said.
Tom backed the pickup into the barn and immediately searched for the hidden hatch to the root cellar. He wondered why anyone had a secret root cellar until he lifted the steel hatch. The root cellar was actually an older bomb shelter from the early 1960s. A second door led to concrete steps down to the shelter’s floor. Tom flicked his flashlight on and saw the walls were lined with shelves full of canned vegetables and meat.
Tom found the shelf at the back of the room, felt along its third shelf from the ceiling, and found the hidden latch. He pulled the latch, and the shelf swung toward him. The room was much larger than Tom expected. His light danced around the room, and he froze. The gun pointed at him wavered but stayed aimed at his chest.
Tom gulped. “Don’t shoot. Alan and Kendra sent me to rescue you.”
A weak voice said, “Tom, is that you?”