Fortress Farm Trilogy: Volumes 1, 2 & 3 (Fortress Farm Series)

by G. R. Carter

  Roy veered off to one of the inner huts, being careful to sit and remove his irreplaceable lace up boots on a wooden stool just outside the door. Even with the scavenging the group had done since the exodus from DC, they were running out of factory produced foot wear. Roy set the boots aside to be meticulously cleaned and repair later, then removed the camouflage harness he wore. Underneath he wore a full set of thermal underwear, long handles some of the Elders called them. He slipped on a pair of buckskin moccasins as he ducked his six foot tall frame into the hut he shared with his wife and infant daughter.

  He returned with a set of olive green coveralls on zipped all the way to top. They shepherded their prisoners to a large rock, winding their way around to the back side toward a narrow entrance braced by solid stone. They slipped inside, making the transition from the sun’s natural light to the glow of a tallow candle. They climbed up a narrow path, rising continually in elevation, the path illuminated by more candles set every ten feet or so. Voices grew louder up ahead and more light flowed onto the path until he arrived in a cavernous room. People milled about, stepping in and out of small rooms structures around the outside walls. The ceiling soared up above the reach of the freestanding lamps that burned brightly in the center courtyard.

  He waved the two prisoners to sit down in the corner of the room, and Roy tied their hands behind their back.

  “Lamar!” he heard someone shout, and then he was surrounded by family and friends. Pats on the back and hugs enveloped him until the group parted. Through the warm faces a confident woman limped up to greet him. Charlotte Jenkins seemed to swallow her son up in a hug, though he was a head taller with shoulders that dwarfed her own. “Next time, don’t stay out so long son,” she said in his ear.

  Her words were met with a smile, and then a somber “We need to talk. All of us.”

  Charlotte simply nodded, a mixture of pride and sadness in her eyes. Every day her son became more like his father, and every day she missed her soulmate more than before. People were wrong, time didn’t heal all wounds.

  Word spread quickly for the Elders to assemble in the courtyard, and folks from inside and outside gathered over the next hour. The excitement of returning scouts with news of the outside world drew every resident in. Young people especially longed for adventure, boys and girls dreamed about the day they could be out on patrol. Lamar and Ty were heroes envied by anyone foolish enough to think that being chased through the woods by armed men was something to wish for. Strangers seated in the corner only caused more curiosity to stir. That those strangers wore Cog uniforms drove the crowd to a near fevered pitch.

  There were no private meetings in the Congregation, though some of the younger leaders wished it might be so sometimes. Deliberation brought delay, frustrating to the young men who longed for action instead of discussion. And there was always plenty of discussion in this group. Loud and boisterous, at time obnoxious and unreasonable.

  Lamar and Charlotte sat next to one another as the others gathered over the next half hour. Animated expressions might have given the appearance of argument to any outsiders. But outside of the two captured soldiers in the corner, everyone here was family in one way or another.

  “I can’t believe you would bring those people here! This area is going to be crawling with Cogs!” a voice shouted.

  “Nah, we’ve been worried about Cog invasion for years. The last time they came up here they got whooped, and it’ll happen again. They know it!” another replied.

  “Right, they’re not going to risk coming up here for just a couple of soldiers. Life ain’t worth that to those kind of folk,” someone agreed.

  Charlotte waited as people had their say. “Bring that lady over here,” she said, pointing to the captured female soldier. Two men quickly complied, positioning the frightened woman in the center of the circle.

  “Listen young lady,” Charlotte said firmly. “I don’t know what they’ve filled your head with about us, but we’re good folks here. We don’t kill for fun, and we don’t torture. Understood?”

  A mixture of defiance and terror spilled out of the woman’s mouth, “Tell that to our driver. You killed him!”

  Lamar cut in, “That’s war, Ma’am. We told him to freeze, and he didn’t. That’s his choice.”

  The woman sobbed as she stared down. “I told them we should wait for another convoy! That we shouldn’t be out here alone!”

  “Silence you fool!” the other prisoner shouted from the corner. “Don’t tell them anything!”

  “I’m not one of your soldiers to be ordered around, Ferguson! Herman’s going to have you shot if we make it out of here alive!” she said hysterically.

  Charlotte smile a little. Her motherly side felt a bit sorry for the woman’s anguish. But the leader in her could spot a talker. And this woman was going to tell her everything she needed to know.

  “Untie the poor girl,” Charlotte said in her most soothing voice. “She’s scared and alone. That man over there is more worried about his precious army than her life.”

  Lamar stood up and offered the woman a chair, and Charlotte patted her leg as the offer was accepted. “Now, tell me your name child. There’s no harm in that.”

  “Pina. Pina Bastet,” the woman replied.

  “Very good, Pina. My name is Charlotte. I know you’re scared, and I understand. We’re scared too. We’re afraid that soldiers are going to come here and hurt our family. Do you have a family, Pina?”

  She shook her head. “No. Well, I have a mom and dad. But they were a long way away from here when the Reset hit. I don’t know where they are.”

  “That’s too bad. What about Herman? Sounds like he might be a close friend, yes? You told Mr. Ferguson over there that he’d be very upset.”

  Pina nodded her head, but was beginning to regain some composure.

  “Pina, I’m guessing that as an important person, you are used to trading information. Am I right about that? Well, I understand, and I’m will to trade. And please remember, you’re worth a lot more to me alive and fine, than dead and silent. I believe we have a soul, and that God Himself judges that soul. So you’ll learn that my word is good when I make you a promise. My first promise to you is that I won’t hurt you, okay?”

  Pina nodded, finally able to look up into the deep eyes of Charlotte. “Okay.” She stammered. “I’m not sure what I can tell you that will help you. I’m just a staff person. General Ferguson is probably the one you should be talking to.”

  “Pina, do you understand what ‘shut up’ means? She’s just trying to get you to…Oof!” Ferguson flew up to his feet with a strong arm under each of his. “We’re going to take General Ferguson for a walk, Miss Charlotte, let him get some fresh air,” Roy told the room.

  Charlotte nodded and continued as though nothing happened. “Sweetie look at me. I promise my boys are not going to hurt the general. I’m in charge here, and they won’t do anything without my permission. I promise. Now, let’s get back to what’s going on here. Can’t hurt anything to tell me. We’re just simple folk who want to keep our family safe. We’re not going to attack anyone.”

  “If I tell you, will you promise to let me go?”

  “Not right away, sweet heart. I’m sure you understand we’ll have to keep you awhile. You know I’d be lyin’ if I said I would, right? Once I feel like we’re safe, you have my word I’ll let you go unharmed.”

  “What about the General?” Pina asked.

  “That will be up to him. His soldiers are responsible for the death of some of my kin, you understand,” Charlotte finished.

  Pina thought for a moment and nodded. “Will you tell me who you are?”

  “I will, of course. You have landed smack dab in the middle of what we refer to as the Congregation. We once lived in Federal DC. I’m sure you did too right? Probably in a different neighborhood though!” Charlotte said with a hearty laugh. “Anyway, we ended up out here in the woods when some soldiers ran us out of our home. Ordered us to r
eport to FEMA camps. But we figured we’d just come out here and live instead.”

  “You said soldiers were responsible for killing your family?” Pina asked.

  “Some of my family, yes. My husband included. I’ll tell you all about it if you want. But out here we’ve built a new life based on the Bible and the land. The townsfolk out here welcomed us when we arrived,” Charlotte replied.

  “But I thought all of these towns were abandoned?”

  “Oh they are now, child. After the Cogs, that’s what we call the soldiers is Cogs, after the Cogs tried to take the young people from there, we helped the towns fight back. Well, unfortunately, we lost.”

  “Weren’t they just trying to help relocate people to safer places where the food was? The young people I mean?”

  Charlotte’s demeanor changed. “Exactly who were they to make that decision for them? What if they were happy where they were at? Had food and shelter already?”

  Pina shrunk back in the chair, back to feeling very small and frightened. The faces of those in the circle looked frightening with the shadows of the wall torches. “I thought we were trying to help people.”

  “Who’s ‘we’ Pina? I told you who we are. Now tell me who you are,” Charlotte demanded.

  “Continuity of Government. That’s why you call them Cogs right? You probably saw the C.O.G. acronym on the vehicles. We use the infinity symbol that looks like a figure eight on its side. That’s who I was a part of…Continuity of Government I mean. Once GRAPEVINE shut down, we stepped in to keep the government running and the country from collapsing.”

  “I’d say it didn’t work,” Lamar said, breaking his silence. All the Elders nodded in agreement.

  “Go on, girl,” Charlotte said with another pat on Pina’s leg.

  “We’ve done our best to keep people fed and warm.”

  “Then where are you going now?” Lamar asked. “We’ve been watching trucks leaving. They’re not on patrol, because they never come back.”

  “How do you know that,” Pina asked with suspicion. “Have you captured anyone else?”

  “We log each and every truck unit number. Got notebooks full of them. For the last few weeks, convoys have been leaving and not returning,” Lamar replied.

  Pina nodded a begrudging respect. She even surprised them with a faint smile. “Yeah, that’s what I would have done if I was in your shoes. Well, I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but we’re moving south. Leaving the District behind for warmer climates.”

  “Uh, you telling me that the government can’t afford coats?” one of the Elder said with disgust.

  “No coats are going to help what’s coming. It’s going to get colder and colder here, until eventually you won’t be able to stand it.”

  The crowd roared with outbursts, each person trying to be heard over the others. Charlotte quieted them, giving Lamar a chance to ask a question. “Does this have something to do with the electricity going out? I mean, obviously you all have power back now. One of your drones chased us this morning.”

  “Did it follow you?” Charlotte burst in.

  “Sorry I didn’t have a chance to tell you yet. Everything happened so quickly…no I don’t think so. I didn’t hear the buzz anyway. That’s how we knew something was up above, and then the attack started,” Lamar replied. “But I remember Ferguson telling Ty that his men could track him wherever he was.”

  His mind started racing as Charlotte commanded, “Get that man back in here. They won’t be able to track him under this rock!”

  She turned to Lamar, “Son, get everyone ready to evacuate. We have to assume they’re going to know where we are now. And I think that Herman she was talking about is Herman Johnson. I remember the soldiers who ran us out of DC talking about a ‘President Johnson’, even though that wasn’t the real president’s name. Apparently we have a couple of very high profile prisoners here.”

  “Okay ma, I’m sorry. I should have thought that through,” Lamar apologized.

  “Time for that later. Get our folks moving, now! She said the Cogs are headed south. They’re based in the north, and there’s only trouble and ocean to the east. So we’ll be heading west, over the mountains. Now go!” Charlotte said.

  As Lamar and the rest of the younger folks moved to get the evacuation started, Pina began to stand. Charlotte grabbed her, firmly but without spite. “Oh no sweetheart. The young folks know what to do. We here,” she nodded to the rest of the Elders still seated patiently, “still have some questions for you. I’m going to give either you or the general a chance to stay behind after we leave. So your Herman’s men can find you. The other will have to come with us. It all depends on who’s more helpful to us, understand?”

  Pina sat back down, sheepishly looking at the collective Elders, now seeming much harder.

  Charlotte continued. “You need to tell us girl, what other surprises do your Cog friends have. How do they track you?”

  “We have implants.”

  “You mean like, plastic surgery?” one of the Elders asked curiously.

  “No, no. Not like that. There are chips implanted in our body. You remember how everyone had the Wristband that they used to get access to food and housing and medicine? I mean before the Reset. Well, the next step in that was an implant with all that same information. Just a lot more secure and convenient. Measures all of our vital signs also. Well, the government has given those to all of us,” Pina replied.

  “I thought all that technology died when the power went out?”

  “Sort of. Our stuff, the government stuff I mean was updated to keep the shutdown from affecting the new technology. The government had some updated stuff hidden in the shelters. Once they moved us out there we’ve spent the last few years getting things organized. Now that we have the means to recreate a decent civilization, it’s time to move south to our new capital.”

  Charlotte looked confused for a moment. “What do you mean ‘new capital’? Where’s this new capital supposed to be.”

  Pina thought for a moment, suddenly realizing she had said too much. Probably already enough talk to get her convicted of treason in the eyes of the Federal government. Her years of experience of the political infighting in DC hadn’t prepared her for a real life and death experience here in the woods of rural Virginia. She was finally beginning to regain her wits and get a handle on who the people she faced really were.

  She was evaluating her options when Lamar and Roy burst back into the dim light of the cave. “We need to go Ma. Roy thought he heard the buzzing again! That could mean drones in the air!”

  “Lamar, can you come here for a moment? Roy, will you take our guest to the ladies latrine? I’m sure she’d like to freshen up before the trip,” Charlotte said with a flash of the warm smile.

  Lamar stood impatiently beside his mother, trying to move her along without being disrespectful. “Son, we’re not going,” she stated firmly.

  “You just told me to make preparations. Now you’re telling me we’re not going?”

  “No, you’re still going. But we’re not going,” she said as she made a large circular motion around the circle of Elders.

  “Ma I don’t understand. And we don’t have time to argue. They’re coming to get these people! And they’ll kill you all when they find you!”

  “I don’t believe they’ll find us. And you’re going to take our ‘guests’ with you, anyway,” Charlotte said.

  Lamar just stood and stared at his beloved mother. “Ma, we talked about this before. We can handle the Elders. We can get you all across the mountains,” he implored.

  “You know that’s not right. This ain’t like the exodus. We had surprise and chaos on our side. There’s no buses to take us over the mountain, Junior. We older folks are just as dead on the mountain side as we would be if the soldiers found us here. This is the best chance for both us, even if it means saying good bye for a while,” she said with tears welling in her eyes.

  “But the trackers…th
ey’ll still find us.”

  “They might know where you are, generally. But they won’t shoot at you as long as the General and that Pina woman are with you. I don’t think their weapons are that accurate, or else they wouldn’t have missed when they first took a shot at you and Ty.”

  “If these two are that important, they’ll never stop chasing us,” Lamar said with a shrug.

  “I think they will. Those drones can’t carry soldiers, and I’d be willing to bet they only have a limited range. So eventually they’ll have to decide what to do. I’m sorry to bet with your life, son. But the Elders and I just think it’s the best chance for all of us.”

  “How will you survive?”

  “We’re not entirely indigent you know. We just have to hide out long enough for all the Cogs to move on south. Then we’ll be able to hunt and garden. Maybe even move on down to the towns again.” Charlotte stood and hugged her son. “I will see you again, Junior. This isn’t goodbye forever, God tells me so. But you have to go right now for this to work. Trust me okay?”

  *****

  For the first time in a week Lamar allowed a small camp fire. Like they had every night, he split the 68 men and women of the Congregation’s newest exodus into smaller groups, scattered just far enough away that one well aimed blast couldn’t take them all out at once.

  The ridge they selected for shelter jutted out just enough to provide an overhang for each group, and small fires were warming the stone wall as campfire coffee boiled over the coals. It had been two days since they last heard buzzing and three since anyone had a caught a glimpse of the drone trailing them. Lamar had decided it was worth the risk of camp fires to raise group morale.

  Pina was huddled under a blanket, radiating misery and near despair. Lamar had kept her and General Ferguson separated since they left the safety of the Congregation hideout. He wasn’t sure how many miles they had trekked so far, but he was confident it was further than the government bureaucrat had ever walked in her life.

  “They gave up on us,” Pina mumbled staring into the little fire.