“That’s twice the game cameras have caught trespassers. I’m really glad we have them, and that Nate was watching the camera and paying close attention. As soon as he saw something, he got on the radio to us. Luckily, we were not far from here and were able to catch them before they got very far.” Frank shook his head. “I am afraid it is only beginning. These guys were petty criminals. What will happen when the real bad guys figure out we have things they need? Let’s get back to the house so we can figure out what to do next.”
When we all got back to the house, I was impressed with how calm everyone was. Nate watched the whole battle on the game cameras, and so he let people know right away our guys were safe. We decided that we needed a few more game cameras put up, and that we would take the flat screen TV from my bedroom and use it instead of the computer monitor to make it easier for the person watching the monitors to see everything. Nate was highly commended for doing exactly the right thing by calling the security team as soon as he thought he saw something. We decided we would have a meeting right after dinner to update everyone on what happened and to plan what our next steps should be.
Tom and Tim went back to hooking up the solar, and a couple of guys went to help them. I was glad to see Red and Jose talking together as they walked over to help Tom and Tim. Red still had his arm in a sling, but I was glad to see him up and around. I made rounds on everyone, in part to reassure people that we were still safe, and in part to reassure myself that everyone was okay. Amy and Lynn were understandably frazzled, but they held up well, all things considered. As a matter of fact, the only ones who were not frazzled were the kids, although Tonya did ask if they were the same bad guys that killed her daddy. Once she was told no, and that these bad guys were dead, she went back to playing with Mandy and the other kids. I decided it was time for me to spend some time with my new grandson and my daughter-in-law. Stacy was still in the basement, with John asleep in her arms. She handed him over to me, and I closed my eyes just to focus on his wonderful baby smell. He was so tiny, and that just strengthened my resolve that we would keep him and all of the children safe, and they would all be able to grow up happy and strong, no matter what was going on outside the farm. I sat and rocked him for a long while.
After dinner, we met in the pole barn. The stove was now working, and for the first time, the pole barn was pleasantly warm. I was expecting to see a lot of bravado – you know, the “We won” attitude, but instead, people were somewhat subdued. Frank took the floor. First, he recognized Nate for his quick actions. He then thanked the security team for their quick response and for not getting themselves shot! After everyone stopped laughing, he got serious again, and said we needed to add more cameras. He told us to not get too cocky, because the guys today were idiots. We needed to be very alert, and also needed to try to keep a low profile. He went on to tell us that this was just a small taste of what we could expect if any of the gangs forming in the cities were to find us. We needed to stay alert and, if possible, increase our security monitoring.
Frank concluded by telling everyone again how proud he was that everyone followed the plan and then asked what we could have done better. I got out my ever-present notebook, because I did not want to miss any suggestions anyone made. The first to raise his hand was Nate, who commented that having a bigger screen to watch the cameras will definitely help the watcher see things sooner. Marcie was next. She suggested that we need steps going into the foxholes, as it was hard for her to get into the foxhole with a rifle without help. Janet suggested we develop some sort of all clear so we didn’t have to go around everywhere and let people know. Clark agreed with her. “We were in the barn and did not have a radio, so we had no idea what was happening until Janet came to tell us everything was okay.”
Frank called out to Father Dan, “Do we have enough radios or walkie-talkies to have one in each location?” Father Dan said we did have enough, and he would take care of distributing them tonight and showing people how to use them. He suggested a channel for the security team, and then another channel for the community.
“Remember, though, that other people can hear what we say, so we are going to have to develop a code to communicate without giving away our locations, names, or any other identifying information.” Frank agreed, and said he and Bill would get together with Father Dan to develop codes and print them up for everyone.
“Are there any other concerns?” Frank asked. Lisa raised her hand.
“While the security team was taking care of the bad guys, who was around if someone tried to get in on the other side of the farm?” Oh, wow, Lisa just pointed out what could be a fatal flaw in our security plan. Frank looked surprised, and then quite thoughtful.
“Lisa, I think you’ve just given Bill and me some more homework to do! We need to have a couple of rapid response teams, because it is more than possible that we could be invaded in more than one place at a time. We will have a plan by morning.”
I thought that our first test went fairly well. We did not have any casualties, the bad guys did not take anything from us, and we got a couple more weapons and ATVs! I stood up, thinking our meeting was ending when Janet stood up.
“Wait, everyone, we have one more important thing to announce!” Everyone got quiet and looked at her. “We have to announce the winner of the pecan picking contest! The winner was … Tonya, with seven full bags!” Everyone applauded, and Tonya was grinning from ear to ear. “Tonya, go with Denise and she’ll get your prize for you!” Janet smiled at the crowd. “Even with the interruptions from the security team, we gathered 24 grocery bags full of pecans! Tomorrow morning, there will be a mass pecan shelling party on the back porch, and everyone is welcome!” I was pretty impressed – 24 bags in one afternoon was a good haul, and that was only from half the trees. I took Tonya’s hand and we went back to the house to retrieve her chocolate bar.
◆◆◆
It only took a couple of hours to make all of the changes that were suggested last night to improve our security. Father Dan distributed radios with code sheets attached to each one. Frank and Bill redid the security schedule to put more people on duty at a time for shorter periods. Steps with handrails were added to each of the foxholes. We also decided that since the berms did not completely surround the compound area, we would use the back hoe and the tractors and try to create a berm that went all around the compound with a big ditch on the outside of the berm. While some of the ladies and kids went to the back porch to shell pecans, everyone else who was not on security duty pitched in to help dig the berm. By dinnertime, we had a good start, but knew it would take a couple of days to finish.
Finally, Tuesday evening we finished the berms. They went completely around our living area, with a deep trench on the outside. We put shorter sharpened stakes into the trench, similar to the tiger traps, and then tossed in leaves to somewhat cover the stakes. There were a couple of open areas so we would be able to drive a truck or car out of we needed to, and new foxholes were built into the berms where the old ones were. These foxholes were even more fortified than the old ones, with better protection for the occupants. Two additional foxholes were added at the other corners of the berm, and a gate was placed over the open driveway areas. Everyone felt a lot more secure once all of this was done.
After dinner Tuesday night, Janet, Maria, and Gabby came over and sat down with me. “Denise, do you know what happens this week?” asked Janet. I thought to myself and for the life of me couldn’t think of anything except calves being born, I think. I looked at the three of them and shook my head no.
“Thursday is Thanksgiving! You have a couple of big turkeys in the freezer, and we wanted to know if you cared if we cooked two so we could have a big Thanksgiving dinner!”
“That’s a great idea, ladies! We have all the makings for Thanksgiving dinner and we certainly have plenty to be thankful for! What do you need me to do?”
“Not a thing, Mom,” said Gabby. “We want to do this as our way of thanking you – a
nd everyone – for giving us all a safe and comfortable place to live. Plus, we think it will help keep everyone’s morale up.”
The next two days passed with a flurry of activity in the kitchen. Finally, the time arrived for our big Thanksgiving dinner. As I was escorted into the pole barn by my sons, I was amazed at the transformation! Tables had been pushed together, and, where necessary, sheets of plywood were placed to create a big U-shaped table. The table was covered with a variety of cloths, and was set with real dishes and silverware. There were home-made decorations on the tables, lanterns lit, and an overall festive air. Everyone followed me into our dining hall (this was way too nice to call it a pole barn) and took their seats. Father Dan then came in and asked everyone to hold hands and bow their heads. He said a short but very moving prayer, thanking the Almighty for keeping us safe and blessing us all with health, security, and the love we all shared. Then, Lisa, Marcie, and Patty began to sing a traditional hymn, “We Gather Together to Ask the Lord’s Blessing.” Soon everyone joined in. It was a very emotional moment for me as I looked at the smiling faces surrounding me, and more than one of us had tears slipping down our cheeks. At the end of the hymn our three chefs entered the dining hall, carrying a tray with two magnificent turkeys. After everyone oohed and ahhed over the turkeys, they made quick work of carving the birds. Then they started passing around serving dishes heaped with traditional Thanksgiving food: mashed potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole, yams, corn pudding, squash, gravy, and wonderful yeast rolls. Chris and Jon passed glasses of apple cider to everyone, and when they were done, Tom stood up and offered a toast.
“I am so grateful to all of you, and especially to you, Denise, for opening your home and your heart to all of us. I am grateful for the way each and every one of you has jumped in to make this farm a home to all of us. I am grateful to God for keeping us safe, and to our chefs for the fabulous feast in front of us.” He held up his glass, and said, “To all of you, thank you.” Everyone drank to the toast, and the feast began.
Dinner was wonderful, a delightful change from the stews and soups to which we had become accustomed. Dessert was pumpkin and pecan pie with fresh whipped cream. As soon as we were done eating, Janet and I put together plates for the security team so they didn’t miss the feast. Janet took a tray down to Grace and Lynn, who were watching the cameras, and I took a tray up to Chuck and Tim, who were in the OP. The roving security teams would get their meal when they were relieved later in the evening.
There was no football game to watch, so instead we sat around and told stories until bedtime. As we left the dining hall for evening chores and bed, the sky was clear and a million stars seemed to be out – the perfect end to a lovely day.
Chapter 17
Before the crash of the economy, the day after Thanksgiving was called Black Friday. People would get up at ridiculously early times to go shopping to get the best deals on Christmas presents. This year, we knew there would be no Black Friday shopping and, for that matter, no Christmas shopping at all. On this new Black Friday morning, I sat at the kitchen table sipping my tea and talking to Tom. I was actually pretty happy that there would be no mad dash to the stores to find the perfect presents. I hated how commercial and materialistic Christmas had become. Just maybe, we could change that in our new world. I asked Tom what his thoughts were. He suggested that maybe the adults could all draw names of the kids and make presents for them. There were plenty of pine trees on the farm, so we could cut a couple down so we could have one in each living room. That way the kids would have the trees and decorations.
I told Tom those were great ideas, and I already had an artificial tree for the house, and I thought the boys each had one, too, but we needed to put a tree in the dining hall, since that is where we all got together as a group. I loved the idea of making gifts for the kids. Some of our kids had been though some really awful times, and anything we could do to preserve bits of their childhood would be worth it. Tom got up and went out to put a note on the whiteboard about seeing us to pick names for the Christmas kids.
I finished my tea and headed to the basement, since it was my shift to watch the security cameras. I would be working today with Nathaniel. We originally paired the teens up with adults because we were worried that a couple of teens might goof around and not watch the screens, but we were wrong. I was quite impressed with all of our teens. Not only did they take their role in security very seriously, they were more attentive than some of the adults. We always had two people on camera duty, so if one person needed to use the restroom or started getting sleepy, the other person was there as back-up. Watching the screen for eight hours can get a little boring, so we all found things to do while watching. I brought my knitting, as I did not need to look at what I was doing and could watch the screen and knit at the same time. Right now, I was knitting mitten and hat sets for everyone. Winter was a little slow arriving this year, but I knew that by late January, it would be really cold and everyone would need them.
Nate, meanwhile, had a sketch pad. I asked him what he was drawing, and he showed me some really amazing drawings of some of the folks on the farm. I had no idea he was so talented. We spent several quiet hours watching a lot of nothing on the security cameras. Occasionally we would see animals – deer, rabbits, and a lot of birds. About five hours into our shift, Nate noticed something moving on the camera near the front gate. We both tried to figure out what we were seeing, and suddenly we saw a face! Jon, Lionel, Bill, and Lisa were the security team nearest the area, so I got on the radio to Jon.
“Minnie Mouse to Bugs Bunny, over.”
“Bugs here, what’s up, Minnie?”
“Bugs, it looks like Wiley Coyote is playing at Southpark. Will you go check the doormat?”
“Will do, Minnie. Bugs out.”
We had developed a code system based on cartoons, and so far it seemed to be working. We had no idea who else could hear our transmissions, and so we tried hard to never broadcast anything in the clear. Each person who had security duties had a code name, and mine was Minnie Mouse. (OK, so Minnie Mouse is not the most dignified code name, but at least I wasn’t Porky Pig!) We also had codes for situations. “Wiley Coyote” meant a stranger whose intentions are unknown. “Southpark” was our main gate, and the “back door” was the emergency gate. The “cemetery” was the north end of the property (where we buried the first four trespassers), and “Mongolia” was the far west side. Checking the mat meant seeing what the intruders were doing. If he told me the mat was clean, it would mean that there was nobody there, and all was clear. If the mat was dirty, we went to battle stations because we had visitors who seemed to have bad intent. If he turned the mat over, it meant someone was there, but they went away. Finally, rolling out the mat meant there was someone there that had no hostile intent and he was going to bring them into the compound. It wasn’t a complicated system (mostly because we had to remember it), but it seemed to work for us.
Suddenly, Jon’s voice came over the radio. “Bugs to Minnie, over”
“Minnie here, everything copacetic?”
“I thought the mat was dirty, but I just turned it over. We’re headed over to the playground. Bugs out.”
That meant the security team was on their way over here. That was not a good sign. Soon Jon, Frank, and Tom were down in the basement with Nate and me. Jon told us they thought they saw people over near the gate, but as they looked closer, they saw two men on the road doing something to a motorcycle. After a minute, the men got onto the motorcycle and headed on down the road. Jon did not think they were a threat, just a coincidence that they stopped near the gate.
Tom seemed thoughtful, and said, “I wonder where they are going? There is not much down that road except a few other farms. Maybe they are from one of the farms and are just out exploring. Of course, they could also be from town looking for signs of life out here. I think we need to be especially careful over the next few days in case those two were scouts.”
We all a
greed with Tom, and Frank said he was going to go put a notice for everyone on the whiteboard, and also would stop by the OP to let them know what he saw.
While we were talking, Nate was intently watching the screens. “Hey, guys,” he interrupted, “come look at this.” He pointed to a screen over towards Mongolia where he thought he saw movement. “Doesn’t that look a little bit like light flickering? If I didn’t know better, I’d think that was a little fire.”
“I think we’d better go check it out. I’ll grab the rest of the team and let you know when we figure out what it is,” said Jon.
The security team carefully approached the area, and as they got closer, they saw a very small fire. Surrounding the fire were several really dirty, ragged looking children. Suddenly, they noticed two older kids standing together near a tree holding sticks. “Stay away from our kids!” said the older boy.
Jon stepped forward. “Who are you and what are you doing on our land?”
The boy responded, “I’m sorry that we are on your land, but we needed a safe place for these kids to rest, and they were really cold, so we had to light a fire. I know that fires are harder to see in the daytime. We needed to hide because there were men out there looking for us.”
Suddenly, he realized that the entire security team was armed. He told the child standing next to him to put the stick down, and then turned to the team and, with a look of defeat, said, “Please don’t hurt us.”
Lisa walked up to the boy, and said, “Why would you think we would hurt you? We just want to know who you are and why you are on our land.”
“Well, you all have guns, and it seems whenever adults have guns, they like to hurt other people.” By now, the kids around the fire were awake, and the younger ones were crying. Lisa asked the boy if they had any weapons, and he said they didn’t, just the sticks, but Susan did have a pocket knife. That’s when the security team recognized the other boy who had been holding a stick was actually a teen-aged girl. Lisa kept talking to the boy in a soft voice. “We are not going to hurt you. What are your names?”
Premonitions (Book 1): The Farm Page 19