Premonitions (Book 1): The Farm

by Anderson, Diana E.

  There was a moment of silence, with a few sniffles interspersed, and then everyone was on their feet applauding and cheering Frank’s comments. Frank managed to turn fear into motivation and reminded everyone of what we would be fighting for.

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  The first couple of days for our new kids were really hard. They seemed to cling to Lionel, and he and Amy spent a lot of time checking over each child to make sure the kids were healthy. He also spent time just talking to the kids. He knew that this was a terribly traumatic event for all of them and wanted to be sure they had opportunities to let their feelings out, especially considering they may have to go through it again if we were attacked. We started firearms training for a couple of the older kids. Tommy insisted he was one of the older kids and did very well with training. We decided Elaina and Mariah were both still pretty traumatized and held off on training them, but Jeff and Sue were both adamant that they be allowed to help protect the farm.

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  December rolled in with freezing weather and high winds. I was grateful for the wood stove in the kitchen and for the living room fireplace. We had days of overcast weather, and solar was not able to keep up with heating the house. Thank heavens we had a lot of blankets and quilts! During the day, the people not on security duty tended to hang out in the pole barn or in my living room, as both had roaring fires all day long and stayed relatively warm. Now that they’ve been here for a couple of days, our newest family members seemed to be settling in fairly well, all things considered. A couple of the younger kids were troubled by nightmares, but Lionel and Amy were working with them.

  We have not seen any more of the mysterious motorcycle riders, although a couple of times the roving security patrol thought they heard engines revving. Our security cameras continued to work well, and we even added a couple more. After all, if the kids got in without us catching them until they lit a fire, who else could sneak in? Bill and Frank even put several cameras facing the road so we could see if someone was coming. The guys did a great job concealing the cameras in bark. When they mounted them on tree branches, they looked just like the trees.

  With everything going on, taking security duties, cooking and cleaning, and spending time with all of the folks now staying on the farm, and still trying to make time to spend with my grandson and my sons and their wives, I’ve not had a lot of time for sleeping. My average day starts between four and four thirty each morning and usually doesn’t end until ten or eleven at night. Then when I get to bed I am usually so exhausted that I either crash and sleep like I am unconscious, or else I lie in bed half awake thinking of more things to worry about. I worry about a lot of things, especially our safety. When I do sleep, I have been having recurring nightmares. I am too tired to remember the dreams, except there are always kids crying, women screaming, people calling for ammunition, and lots of loud rumbling in the background. I usually wake up in a cold sweat with that same feeling of foreboding, and I feel the need to go check on everyone, although now I know better than to go disturbing people. I’ve learned the hard way not to go running around checking on people; it creates panic, and I guess not everyone shares my psychosis or premonition or whatever it is.

  This morning I was up at four again, and as usual, I was sitting in my office sipping my first cup of tea. I am glad we stored a lot of tea. I don’t know what we will do when the tea is gone – probably the same thing the coffee drinkers will do when the coffee is gone. Not to worry, though, we stocked up a lot of that, too. I smiled, remembering Chris loading extra tea into our wagon at the Costco in Asheville, saying he could stand pretty much anything, but he was not going to go through the Zombie Apocalypse with a mother who did not have her tea every morning!

  About four thirty Tom came down and joined me in the office with his own cup of tea. I asked him if he was having trouble sleeping, too, and he said he was. He told me he was having those nightmares again, and he just knew something was going to happen. I told him I wish I knew what it was, because not knowing was driving me crazy!

  Our conversation drifted to wondering what was going on in the world. Many of Father Dan’s HAM radio contacts had either gone off the air or were not broadcasting very often. There still has not been any official word from the government on what was happening. All we knew was that without power, water, grocery stores, sanitation, and all of the other amenities of modern society, the country, and maybe the world, had descended into chaos. Father Dan was getting frequent reports from the HAMs that were still on air that huge gangs were battling each other in most of the bigger cities, and even in some of the smaller towns, too. We no longer got any news from Riverdale after the Methodist minister, who was the last of the HAMS in town, died as a result an infection from a gunshot wound he received a couple of weeks ago. With no medical help in town, things like infections that were relatively minor a few months ago were now lethal. Father Dan had reported hearing reports of the military attempting to confront some of the gangs, but he heard even more reports of the military abandoning their posts to go home to protect their families. Father Dan also heard a few reports of FEMA trying to set up camps, but they were never confirmed, and we figured it was probably just wishful thinking. We knew we were extremely blessed to be so well insulated from all of the violence out there, and I just hope we stayed that way.

  Tom and I continued to sit and chat for a few more minutes. I have to say that I really enjoy these early morning conversations. We are always so busy all day long, and I’ve begun to look forward to the few quiet minutes we spend in the mornings before the rest of the world gets up. I really value Tom’s outlook on things. He has a very analytical mind and often sees things from a different perspective than other people. He doesn’t blow things out of proportion, but he also doesn’t try to explain away things that concerned us.

  Tom interrupted my musings, and asked, “Are you still having nightmares?” I answered him truthfully, and told him I was. I explained that the dreams were always similar and never gave clear indications of what was going on, but I seemed to remember more details – kids crying, people screaming, things like that. He told me he was still having nightmares, too, and that instead of going away, his feelings of foreboding seemed to be getting stronger.

  I nodded my agreement. “I wonder if it is because we are actually living what we were only worried about before? I mean, before, the economic collapse was just a thing we worried about. Now we are going through it, and everything we’ve read about and worried about is really happening. It would seem to me that we are preparing ourselves because we know that it is not going to get any better any time soon.”

  Tom looked at me and nodded. “I think you are right. I just wish if something was going to happen, it would go ahead and happen already!”

  “Oh, Tom, be careful what you wish for, my friend!” I cautioned. “I’ll take boring with feelings of foreboding over a crisis situation any day!” Tom grinned and agreed that I was probably right.

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  Later that morning, Father Dan came upstairs looking for Patty. I told him she was probably in the kitchen. He seemed a bit excited, and I asked him if everything was alright, and he said he had just talked to her son. I followed him into the kitchen to hear what he was going to tell Patty.

  “Patty, I just talked to Mark on the radio!” Patty’s eyes got wide and she put her hand to her mouth. “Is he OK? What did he say?”

  “He wanted to know if you were still at the last location you gave him, and I told him you were. He said he and a couple of his troops were headed our wa,y and we could expect them soon, depending on how many tangos got in his way. I’m not sure what a tango is, so maybe I misunderstood him. He also said something that sounded like they were coming heavy.”

  “You didn’t misunderstand,” I interjected. “A tango is a bad guy, and coming in heavy means they are coming to us well armed.”

  Patty was smiling from ear to ear. “Oh, I hope he is here soon! That would be the be
st Christmas present ever for him to be home.”

  I asked Father Dan if he had any idea how many troops were with him and if they had a vehicle, or were walking, or what, but he said he did not know. He said their transmission was very short and to the point, and that as soon as Mark finished his message, he signed off. He did say that he was going to continue to try to reach him, and I asked him to try to find out numbers and how they were traveling. I figured we needed to start thinking of where we would put more people. All of the bedrooms were filled, and we had the Livingstone boys in my basement and Jeff’s group of kids in Chris’ basement. Maybe we could build more bunk beds in Chris’ basement and move the Livingstone boys over there with the other kids. Then we could put Mark and his group in my basement and Jon’s basement for now. I think we need to start thinking about building a dormitory!

  Patty was so excited, she went to find Bill and share the good news with him. I was really happy for her. I could not imagine going through everything we were experiencing now and not having my sons with me. I hoped that Mark would arrive soon, and that they did not need to deal with too many tangos on the road in.

  Chapter 19

  Our reprieve from the motorcycle gang lasted for almost two weeks. That Wednesday, twelve days after the kids arrived, we woke up to the smell of smoke. Chris was in the OP, and said he could see a column of smoke that looked like it was a couple of miles away. I was afraid that the smoke was coming from my neighbors’ farm down the road, and Chris agreed with me. Frank sent everyone to battle stations, just in case. That was a good decision, because within an hour, we started hearing engines revving in the distance. Over the next hour or so, the engines got louder, and we could hear intermittent gun shots. Finally, around ten, Patty called us on the radio to say that she could see motorcycles out on the road. They seemed to be congregating around the area where our main driveway meets the road. I thought we had hidden it well, but I guess those two earlier scouts found us after all. Patty used our codes to tell us minute by minute what they were doing. I was glad we came up with the crazy code just in case the tangos were listening in to our broadcasts. I was also proud of Patty, because she did not give anything away about our positions, names, locations, or anything over the radio. I looked around the farm, and saw everyone in their battle stations. The kids were all secure down in the basement, and the young teens were upstairs waiting to report what they saw. The barn was all closed up, with all of our animals secure inside. I knew Clark and Maureen would be upstairs behind the upstairs hayloft door, which had been reinforced this week and a shooting port added to give them better protection.

  Suddenly, I heard Patty say “Here they come!” She told us that the bulk of the gang was in a group about fifteen people across and three or four deep. They cut the chain and wire holding the gate shut and started moving up the driveway, spreading out a little bit as they came. A few of them appeared to break off and move towards the sides of the berm in a flanking sort of movement. Nathaniel added that most were carrying rifles, but a couple had shotguns. He said some of the rifles looked to be semi-automatic, but most of them looked like hunting rifles. Patty tried to give us a count, and said there had to be at least 50, maybe 60 people. They were mostly men, ragged looking, and mostly dressed in leathers, but a couple of “biker chick” type women were mixed in, and they were armed, too. Within minutes, we could hear them yelling as they approached. They started firing stray shots at the berm and at the buildings they could see. Some of the gang were yelling threats and taunts to try to get us to show ourselves. A few were yelling out obscene things they would do once they captured all of us. I could tell our people were getting agitated, and was glad to hear Frank calming everyone down over the radio. He told everyone to not let their threats get to us, and to hold steady. He also reminded us to hold our fire and to only fire when we actually had a target. Sammy, from his post in one of the front windows, suddenly called out that the gang was still on the driveway, but getting close to the berm.

  Frank and Bill warned everyone to stand by, and they set off the two electronic homemade claymores on either side of the driveway with a huge roar. When that happened, the bikers started firing furiously, mostly towards the house and barn. As the smoke cleared, Patty reported that from the security cameras on the berm, there were at least fifteen or twenty people down that she could see, but the gang was still coming, and now they had spread out more and were shooting more, too. One gang member gave a rebel yell and ran towards the berm, holding a lit Molotov cocktail bomb in his hand. Just as he threw the bomb over the berm, he fell into the deep ditch in front of the berm. Judging by his horrific screams, he must have landed on the sharpened stakes in the ditch. The firebomb landed and exploded, spreading fire across the dry grass on the inside of the berm. I saw two of our people – I think it was Marty and Jeremiah – run over with a bucket of water and quickly extinguish the small fires that the bomb set off. At the same time, Frank gave the order to open fire, and I could hear shots coming from the foxholes in front. I could hear members of the security team, who also had predetermined places to take cover, firing. To my trained military ears, I could tell a difference between the gang’s shots and ours. Our people were firing in a measured and disciplined way, while the gang was shooting as fast as they could shoot. Patty called out that she could see gang members trying to spread out and moving around to the east and west, trying to get to the berm. I could hear the other foxholes start to engage as well. From my position on one side of the porch behind a concrete planter I could see two people suddenly pop up over the berm. Tom and I both fired, and the two went down. Patty reported more of the group were moving towards the east side of the house, and Frank ran over to set off the electronic claymores on that side. Tom and I saw a small group trying to get close to the berm in front, so we both aimed for the claymores on the berm. Thank goodness for those neon spots! We both were able to set the bombs off. I thought to myself, “Thank you Grandpa for storing all those screws and nails and all that tannerite target material!” We called up to the kids on the second floor to see if they could see anything, and they said there were still a couple of guys, but they had backed up and were trying to hide in the trees. Gradually, the shooting tapered off, until we were just getting sporadic shots from the trees. We could hear the screams and shrieks of the wounded. Frank, Bill, and Tim went out the back side of the berm and went into the trees to come around and flank the ones hiding in the trees. There was a flurry of shots, and then it got quiet. Frank radioed that they were coming in, and to please not shoot them.

  Just then, Father Dan come on the radio and said that Patty’s son and his group were at the gate, and they had taken care of the gang members who stayed behind to guard the motorcycles. Frank ordered all of us to hold our fire so that Patty’s son and his group could come in. Father Dan replied they were coming in an armored vehicle, and they would take out the rest of the tangos if there were any left. After a minute or two, we heard the sound of a heavy engine coming up the driveway. As the vehicle came out of the trees, it stopped for a minute, and several shots were heard. Then, it continued to slowly move up the driveway. I recognized the vehicle to be an MRAP (mine-resistant armored protected vehicle). This MRAP was towing a military armored trailer. We opened the gate in the berm, and let the vehicle drive in. All of a sudden, the front door of the house flew open, and Patty came running out. The passenger door opened and a tall man dressed in camouflage hopped out. Patty ran straight to him and grabbed him in a big hug. I guess it is safe to say Patty’s son Mark was here!

  After he was able to get out of his mother’s hug, Mark ordered the soldiers in the MRAP to dismount and to check the area outside the berm to be sure there were no gang members surviving. He then walked up to the porch to me and saluted. “Major Armstrong, ma’am!” I saluted him back, and then reminded him I was retired. He laughed, and said, “Roger that. I guess we are now, too! I’m sorry I was late for your garden party today, but at least we’re h
ere to clean up!” At that moment, Bill came around the corner of the house, and grabbed Mark in his second big hug. “Dad, I’m so glad you and Mom are okay. I was pretty worried, but it looks like things are under control here. I need to get back and help my troops – they are mopping up any stragglers, and we’ll collect the bodies and see what contraband they may have.”

  “Is it safe, do you think, for us to go out to the road and get those motorcycles that are out there?” asked Bill.

  “Give us a few minutes, and we’ll let you know when you can come out.” Mark answered.

  Frank walked up at that time and introduced himself to Mark. “Do you think we can call the all-clear?” he asked. Mark nodded yes, so Frank got on the radio and told everyone it was over for now and they could come back to the house. Meanwhile, several of our people went to help the Mark and his troops with checking the bodies of the gang members outside the berm. Every few minutes, a shot would be fired, and I knew that was Mark’s men finishing off any gang members left alive.

  It took a couple of hours, but they dragged all of the bodies of the gang members into a line in front of the berm. There were 58 bodies or parts of bodies in the line. The bodies had been stripped of anything of value, and those items were piled up just inside the berm. It was just too much. We would deal with the bodies and belongings tomorrow.

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  Later that day, after everyone had a chance to calm down and get cleaned up, we gathered in the pole barn to meet the new arrivals. Before we did introductions, I stood up and asked Father Dan to say a prayer of thanksgiving that we fared so well in this battle. We had only minor injuries from splinters and flying debris, and the gang did not have time to do any major damage other than a few broken windows in the house.