Propping the body against a tree he was able to get the weight on his back and walk home. An hour later with an extra hundred and twenty pounds on his body, a sweaty and exhausted Ben walked onto the porch of the cabin with Clive answering the door.
“Ben is back. Looks like he had a date,” Clive said to the rest of the cabin.
“Funny,” Ben dropped the deer on the porch and pulled out his canteen. After chugging the rest of his water, he pulled his knife out and took the tenderloins he wanted so bad. “These are mine,” Ben said, cutting a chunk of yellow fat off the back of the carcass and grabbing a frying pan from the wall next to the fireplace. The rest of the men cut steaks from the back straps and waited to cook the meat in the fat.
Ben sat with his back against the wall cutting into the tender meat with a steak knife and fork. Five minutes later Ben was full, tired, and falling asleep. When he awoke the next morning the deer was processed and in various stages of preservation. Outside a small hut was made for smoking, pieced together by Budd. Dallas hung a few pieces to dry inside the cabin. The heart was cut up and cooking in a Dutch oven. Overall his job was done and the head was buried behind the cabin. Ben was disappointed and realized the hide the men had saved was now useless. Without the brain or some kind of tanning oil there was nothing he could do with it. A separate hole was dug for the hide and it was discarded into the earth.
As the winter months passed, the books on the shelves rotated hands and the men became a little more cultured with the European classics they had at their disposal. Although they read the books the comments they had about the stories were typical for their generation.
“That Anna Karenina was a stupid slut,” Budd commented, finishing the novel with the same name as the character, tossing it aside. Most of the men secretly agreed since the woman picked the most dramatic and stupid way to die. Leave it to a woman to think so much about herself that she doesn’t care about the train conductor or the people who might have seen her running towards the tracks. How some of these books became classics baffled the men, but they continued reading out of complete boredom.
The sun disappeared for over a week, hiding behind constant cloud cover. When it re-emerged Dallas noticed the days were getting longer. New Year’s day had come and gone along with several other holidays they had not thought about. Once spring came, the plan was to hike out of the forest and move west. The coast would still have a population to gather information from. Clive and Kelly wondered if only the base was hit by an EMP. After nobody came to rescue the men, the forest fire wasn’t put out by planes or helicopters, and since a single jet had not been seen in the sky since that day, everyone agreed they were on their own.
Chapter 9
The ship off shore was a glorious site to see for everyone in the city. A large cargo vessel that nobody had expected. On the flag poles were red Chinese and Blue U.N. flags. Word spread throughout the city and many followed those that were simply curious where people were going. Sophie was one of these curious people. She had seen the people running down the street, looks of excitement on their faces saying that somebody had come to save the day.
The horn of the ship sent a call to the city that they had arrived and there wasn’t anybody on shore that wasn’t happy to see them. Once on the dock, the plank was sent down and soldiers marched down to secure the area. Crews of people in overalls funneled off the ship and started working on the cranes on the docks. Two hours later shipping containers and crates were being removed from the ship. Chinese versions of MREs were being handed out to the crowd and the Chinese were being welcomed with open arms.
That night fencing was put up to secure the area and keep people from entering the docks. As the weeks went on, and more boats arrived, the fence moved several yards off of the docks and into the city. Streets started to disappear with checkpoints set up with armed guards. The attitude of the situation changed and the final straw was when MREs stopped being handed out. This happened after the boats started to deliver Humvees, large trucks, and tanks.
When Sophie saw the armed guards she knew she should have gone home. There was still the possibility. She could grab her bike and try to make it before winter. The fall months were already coming to a close and if she knew the mountains like she thought she did there was already snow on them. The rip would still be worth it compared to what was happening here. She had three MREs she had saved. Nowhere near enough food for that kind of journey. She had to get more.
After night had fallen Sophie took to the streets and headed for the docks. She had an idea where the food was kept and thought she could reach it. She had taken a tour of the tunnels under the city when she first arrived and used them with a lighter to make her way past the guard post. She had to be careful where she popped up in the street and used the signs in the tunnel to get a good idea where she was. A few blocks away from the docks she was behind the guard post and tried to be silent while shifting a manhole cover. The scratching and ringing sound of the metal made her wince. She wondered when the soldiers would arrive. Replacing the manhole cover she moved down the street staying in the shadows and moved towards the docks.
Hiding behind an abandoned, car Sophie looked at the docks and realized her mission was over. The docks were lit up with bright towers fed by generators. There was no way to reach the food she was after. She didn’t need much more, just enough to carry. She was about to move from behind the car when she heard a shout behind her. She looked to see a Chinese soldier looking directly at her. She turned around and ran away from the soldier who continued to yell. She reached the end of the street and ran into two more soldiers who grabbed her and turned her around. Her arms were cuffed behind her back as she screamed at them.
“You can’t do this,” she tried to plea with them. “I’m an American.”
The words were lost on them and it was obvious they didn’t care about her nationality or where they were.
Sophie was taken to a holding cell on the cargo ship and locked away in a room with no windows and a cheap cotton filled mat on the floor to sit or lay on. The mat smelled of sweat and it was obvious somebody had used it for the journey over the ocean.
The hours passed, maybe days. Time was unknown with the lack of daylight. The doors opened and a soldier stood looking inside the room. He said something in Chinese and another man looked in wearing what appeared to be an officer’s uniform. He appeared interested in Sophie and said something to the soldier.
“What?” she asked. “What is he saying?”
Another soldier appeared and the two men grabbed Sophie by the arms and moved her out of the room.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked as the men continued to look forward moving her down the corridor.
At the end of the corridor the two soldiers shoved her into a room with a shower. They said something but she didn’t understand them. The men continued speaking to her and were becoming quickly frustrated.
“What?” she would ask hoping for bits of English. “you want me to what?”
The soldier pointed at the shower.
“What?” she turned and looked. “No,” she answered. “You leave first.”
The second soldier didn’t like her reluctance and moved over, grabbing her shirt. She struggled and grabbed his hand. The soldier stepped back pointing a gun at her. She started to cry as she removed her shirt revealing her bra.
The soldier said something and she knew he was telling her to continue. She removed her pants and tossed them aside. He continued talking and she was reluctant to remove the bra and panties. The second soldier gripped the front of the bra and tugged until the straps ripped and she was topless. Then he tugged on the panties and she stepped back. The first soldier pulled a knife out showing her he was willing to cut them off of her. She slid them off, crying as she did.
Standing there naked she tried to cover herself the best she could and the soldiers pointed to the shower. She stepped inside and moved the dial. To her surprise hot water came out of
the showerhead. She turned around and let the water flow over her body. Turning around she noticed that the soldiers were gone.
Rinsing the soap from her body she turned off the water and walked out to see a female soldier standing with a towel in her hands. The woman spoke and it surprised her.
“I have this for you to dry yourself,” the soldier said. “When you are finished you will come with me.”
“Do I have any clothes?”
“You will come with me,” the soldier repeated.
Sophie tied the towel around her body and followed the female soldier through the corridors. Her feet were cold stepping on the freezing steel. Climbing stairs and moving up inside the boat they were now in cabin areas. The female soldier opened a cabin door and inside was carpet. The warm sensation on her feet instantly felt good.
“You will wait here,” the female soldier said, closing the door as she left.
Sophie continued drying her hair and body then waited on the bed against the wall. The room had books and a closet. Curious, she went to the closet and looked inside. Uniforms hung on a rack and she recognized them. They were the officer’s uniform.
She suddenly realized what was happening. The way that the man had looked at her in the doorway. She tried to open the door to the cabin but it was locked. There were no rooms in the cabin. She was locked inside.
Again time stopped and she sat on the bed until she fell asleep. It was then the door opened and in walked the officer. He was older, middle aged with salt and pepper hair. Had she been able to read the insignias on his collar she would have learned he was a general. He said something to her in Chinese and she looked at him blankly. He removed his hat and had a smile on his face. Walking over he said something else and put his hand out towards her. She flinched away and appeared not to like that. He said something sounding like a question, then his tone grew angry.
Sophie moved back on the bed and he leaned over and grabbed her ankle. He pulled her towards him, the towel coming off revealing her naked body. He glanced her over and a smile grew on his face. Again she crawled away and he grabbed her ankle again; this time she kicked back and hit the man in the face. His demeanor instantly changed and he grabbed her like a ragdoll. While her hair was being pulled, she moved off the bed towards a desk. He yelled at her the entire time. She thought for sure he was going to kill her. He leaned her over the desk and the sound of a chain could be heard behind her. One hand pressed against her back as a cuff snapped onto a wrist, then the other. Her hands were secured under the desk. The leg was bolted to the floor.
“Don’t do this,” she said crying. “Please, don’t do this.”
He said something into her ear. She didn’t know the words but she could tell he was going to do whatever he wanted with her. She heard the sound of a zipper and closed her eyes.
Year 2
Chapter 10
Taking a short break, Dallas tried to figure out their position in the forest. He had Kelly climb to the top of a tree and point towards the peaks closest to their position. Dallas drew a circle in the area he thought they were. Comparing it to other maps, they were reaching logging sites deep into federal land.
“I think it’s time we start taking game if we can.” Dallas folded the maps and put them in a plastic bag.
“If? Shit man we could have had a half dozen deer by now if we could shoot at them,” Budd replied.
“And we wouldn’t be this far if we had,” Dallas stated.
Kelly was climbing back down through the branches and stopped half way down. Dallas looked at Kelly and noticed he was staring into the woods. He tried to trace Kelly’s line of sight. The tree trunks prevented anyone from seeing more than eighty yards into the forest. Watching the vertical lines, he saw the blur.
Dallas stood up. He looked at Kelly and pointed to his eyes then in the direction of the figure running around. Someone was out there. Dallas snapped his fingers and his men grabbed their rifles.
Moving tree to tree Dallas made his way into the area where the person was. Behind him his men followed leaving their rucksacks behind. Without the added weight they were faster and quieter. Dallas would see movement for a split second and then it would disappear.
“Where are you?” Dallas whispered to himself. He saw something to his right and turned to see the brown blur moving. Dallas changed direction and kept his rifle aimed where ever he looked. Every time he reached a tree he thought the person was hiding behind it would be empty.
“Where are you?” Dallas said looking around the area through his sight. “You’re starting to piss me off.”
Some of the men stopped behind him and looked through the woods.
“Anybody see any tracks?” Clive whispered.
Dallas took a step forward and caught his foot on something under the leaves. He looked down and expected a fallen branch. Under a log he spotted two eyes looking at him. At first he thought they were mushrooms, white spots with a dark center under the moss covered log. They blinked. Dallas stepped back and pointed his rifle at the log.
“Get up. GET UP!” he hollered. Rustling of leaves and the breaking of twigs drew everyone’s attention as the ground moved and a brown hairy figure emerged.
“Holy shit, it’s Bigfoot.” Budd said.
The long matted hair filled with leaves emerged with a thick beard. Mud and dirt blended the face with the earth tones of the hair. The body was covered in deer and other hides sown together into one outfit. Dallas looked into the human eyes.
“Who are you?”
The man didn’t speak.
“Who. Are. You?” Dallas repeated slower.
A mumbling sound came from the man’s mouth.
“Speak up man!” Budd yelled.
“River,” the man answered.
“What river?” Dallas said.
“My name is River,” the man answered.
“What are you doing out here?” Dallas said still aiming the rifle.
“You’re not looking for me?” River replied.
“Why would we be looking for you?” Clive asked.
“Who are you?”
“I am River. I protect these woods.”
“From who?”
“Loggers.”
Dallas lowered his rifle and smiled.
“You’re an eco-terrorist?” Dallas started to snicker.
“He’s a tree hugger?” Budd added.
“I’m an activist,” River corrected.
“How long have you been out here?” Dallas asked.
“When was Fukushima?” River asked.
Dallas was puzzled for a few seconds.
“No Fucking way!” Kelly said. “That was years ago.”
“You’ve been here that long?” Dallas didn’t know if he should believe this. “How have you survived out here for so long?”
“The forest feeds me,” River said. “If you know where to look there is plenty to eat.”
“This guy is crazy,” Ben said. The comment from Ben took everyone by surprised since they could picture Ben doing the exact same thing.
“What can we eat?” Clive asked.
“Here?” River said and started to look around. He checked the ground and logs then found something to eat. “Here we go.”
River pulled an old pocket knife from under his deer skin top. Dallas was questioning if he should keep his rifle aimed at the wild man. River leaned over and looked at some fungus on a log. The white and pink colored fungus protruded from the decaying wood. Gently slicing into the fungus he cut an inch-thick strip off and stood up. Breaking it in half he handed one piece to Dallas and the second he put in his mouth and started chewing. Squeezing the piece of fungus in his hand Dallas placed it in his mouth. As he chewed his face changed expressions.
“Kind of like chicken,” Dallas said.
“The nickname for it is tree chicken,” River said, stepping back to the remains of the fungus. “Notice the Pink color and texture. It looks like chicken breasts growing off the tree.”
“There is chicken on the trees?” Kelly said as he started to look around and find his own food to eat.
“What are you doing out here? Who did you think we were?” Dallas asked River.
“The government has been trying to get me for years. I thought you were here for me. Take me in.”
“You have no idea what is going on, do you?” Dallas checked his response.
“What happened?” Rivers eyes grew wide. “Did they do it? Did they drop the bombs?”
The wild man was in a panic. He looked up at the sky expecting to see the starts of a nuclear winter.
“Is the radiation coming? Are we all dead?” River looked lost at where to go.
“I think we should have a talk,” Dallas said.
“Are you here to arrest me?” River asked.
“No, I promise. If anything you might be helping us.”
“Come with me,” River said. “Time to go home.”
All of the Rangers grabbed their bags and appeared hesitant to follow the wild man into the woods. Even without shoes, River was able to move fast and gracefully. The fit young men that followed River had trouble keeping up at his pace. He was older, thinner, dirty and in the most basic way physically superior to them. The Rangers were puzzled at what they were seeing.
When they reached the camp site of the wild man they wondered if he was lying about his life.
The area lacked a spot for a campfire, instead it was littered with small camper propane tanks. A small shack was constructed of tree bark and large fallen tree branches. Books were neatly stacked in the shack with the covers dirty and the pages dog-eared. Other cans, jars, and wrappers were littered around the campsite leftover from River’s thievish adventures.
“Where is the fire pit?” Kelly asked wondering where they would cook their food.
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