by Cooper, DJ
Danny looked at Dez horrified. “Dez she’s gonna have my hide.”
“And why pray tell is that?”
He again turned away. Looking to Julie for the answer she found none and shrugged her shoulders at them.
Julie began to cry, “I’m pregnant.”
Eyes wide Dez replied. “Oh… I see.” Looking to Danny, who’d turned around. “Your mother will indeed be pissed.” Shaking her head. “What were you two thinking?” Stopping to compose herself. “No matter… go do something and I’ll talk to them.”
Danny began to thank her, and she pointed to where they were approaching saying, “shoo, now git.”
Laurie and Janice came over to sit with Dez and asked what was up with Danny and Julie. Dez just shrugged and smiled, tilting her head a little to look at them. “It’s nice they’ve been hanging out, there really isn’t anyone else their age here.”
Janice just grunted and wasn’t really listening until Dez said, “They make a cute couple, don’t you think?”
Janice looked up at them and then to Dez. “Wha? Wait, who does.”
“Danny and Julie.” She giggled a little.
Laurie looked at the young people wistfully. “Yea, I see them working together and sometimes I hope for Danny, so lucky to have such a quality girl as Julie.” Looking over to Janice who took on a look like she was cornered.
Dez burst out laughing. “I just can’t.”
Laurie looked confused raising her eyebrows. “Can’t what?”
“Sit here and have this conversation with you two.”
Janice sat straighter and looked back and forth from Danny and Julie to Dez. “What do you mean?”
Dez shook her head and looked at them hard. “Now, hear me out before you flip.”
The two started to object but Dez put her hand up. The both nodded and waited for her to tell them what she had to say. “Danny and Julie want to marry.”
She waited a moment for the objections, but the two women just sat blankly staring at her. “Next week.”
Janice gasped, “She’s only just turned eighteen.”
Dez quieted them and continued. “They’d like your blessing and my personal feeling on the matter is that you should give it. We’ve had a rough couple of months. Think about it Danny nearly died crossing the country and Julie barely made it here. I think their need to have the adult life stems from the adult situations they are and will be in. None of us know if we will be here tomorrow.” Raising her shirt to expose her wound. “I think if you don’t they will run off and do it anyway. They’ve had a tough time. Let them have this.”
Laurie looked at Janice who smiled at her and looked back to Dez and said, “Do you know that Julie is pregnant?”
Dez was the one shocked now, she sat down. Furrowing her brow at the two of them. “You knew?”
“Of course, who can miss Julie’s morning run to the outhouse and vomit loudly routine?”
“Well obviously me, because until ten minutes ago I’d had no idea.”
Janice continued, “We’ve been waiting for them to come tell us.”
“They’re afraid you’re gonna be pissed.”
“Oh, I was at first. I was fit to be tied and spitting nails. That is until Laurie caught hold of me and made basically the same argument you did. We were both upset at their timing. But now we will look forward to our new grandbaby. That is if they ever get around to letting us in on their secret. They’re grown now and can choose for themselves. I only said that earlier to get you going.”
Dez looked at them a little longer and without a word stood to walk away. Turning back she said, “You two are downright rotten. Making me go through all that when you knew all along.”
They giggled at her and smiled. “Oh Dez…”
“What?” she replied angrily.
“We got us a wedding to plan!”
She smiled back at them and went to give them the news.
Chapter 15
Deceptions
It's the great deception in modern culture: Bad things call for noble names to cloak their evil outcomes.
-Greg Gutfeld
During the next week they planned for the wedding. Danny and Julie still didn’t know that Laurie and Janice had already known about the baby. Everyone was wrapped up in the festivities but never forgot the security. Patrols had turned up things that made them believe they were still being watched. The camp now empty and many of its men dead or wounded slowed the patrols on the farm. But someone was still watching them. With Roger and Ray in Texas the security fell to Sam and John. None of them could match the stealth and prowess of Roger but they didn’t need to at the moment.
No one had heard from Kimmie or Renee’ and Matt was still out there with Morgan who could still be alive after the wounding Dez gave her back at the infirmary. So much had happened in a brief time they’d hoped for some peace. While they hoped, Sam was sure something was brewing and kept a vigil watching for anything. Tawny became frustrated with his obsession with security and begged him to join the party. He finally agreed but not before setting extra watches in two of the trees facing the road.
Cory came to the festivities and brought news of more communication interruptions. Standing with a glass of mead they chatted about the radios. “I’m tellin ya Sam, someone is jamming the signals.”
“How can they jam all the signals?”
“Can’t say, maybe by satellite?”
“Who would have access to satellites and be jamming both ours and those at the camp’s radios?”
“I have no clue, but something is up. Mark my words.”
Aaron came over to them and shaking both hands asked, “what’s up?”
Cory told him about the interruptions. “I think we heard some kind of robotic voice. It just says the same one word here and there. Happened three times now.”
“Hackers!” Aaron said.
Sam looked at him with furrowed brow, “what?”
“It’s hackers. They had their mitts in everything. I watched a video and it had some guy in a mask saying stuff in a computer voice. They’re a bunch of hackers messing with you. Betcha!” Taking a big swig off his cup he raised it to them, turned and headed back to the food table.
Sam stood without words a moment as he considered the possibility then looked to Cory. “You think?”
Shrugging his shoulders, he raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips before speaking. “It’s as good an explanation as any of us have had.”
The evening went well and without incident. Ryan even asked Dez to dance. He was awkward as he approached and asked, looking at the ground and shuffling his feet. Dez had no mercy on the poor man and took a moment to consider it. Then laughed, “You know that’s payback for making me stay at the command tent.”
“Oh, I see… I’m never going to be forgiven for that am I?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say that, but you’ll definitely not live it down.” She smirked at him and grabbed his hand.
As the evening was ending, Gary, who’d been part of Ryan’s team since the initial stages came over. He danced around Dez and Ryan trying to tap him on the shoulder. Dez seeing this stopped dancing and said, “Gary, I know it’s fun dancing but you look like you got ants in your pants. What’s up?”
“Sorry to interrupt but we found something up on the hillside.” Pointing to the western ridge he asked if they’d come have a look.
There was a small logging road that went up the ridge and they climbed onto one of the four wheelers and followed Gary up the small road. They had to climb the final few yards up a steep incline to an outcropping near the apex of the ridge. Dez was out of breath and holding her side as Ryan reached under her arm and across her back to help her the rest of the way.
Panting, “I guess maybe I’m not as well as I’d thought.” She stood hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.
Ryan smirked at her, “mhmmm.” But refused to incur her wrath with anything further.
Walking over
to the outcropping Kimber and Eric stood beside what they’d found. It was a large cache of food and a note. Once Ryan opened it and began to read, horror struck his face and his arm dropped with the note in it as he tried to process what it meant.
Dez was impatient and snatched the note from his hand and began to read it. “
RADIO CODE:
FORMULA TO DETERMINE CHANNEL ON CB USE.
MONTH + DAY – 3…
“This is our radio code.” She looked up at them confused and then began to go through the box. Finding things that came from the farm. She stood holding a drawstring bag that had a picture of an elephant on it. Holding it up she shook it angrily. “This belongs to Dylan. I gave it to him myself when he was three and had a huge elephant thing going on.” Fishing through the bag she pulled out food and small utensils. “This stuff all came from the farm.” Looking up at them. “What it looks like is strangely familiar.”
None of them knew what she meant, looking at her with raised eyebrows waiting for her to elaborate. “We had an issue with someone stealing food and stashing it to leave. But this… This is different. This note has our radio code, watch changes, supply locations and even who sleeps where. It hasn’t been updated for a bit because the sleeping has changed but still.”
They took the note but left all else. Added a walkie left on channel eight. Everyone would be instructed not to use it except to share disinformation. Absolute radio silence but for the disinformation. They would use runners until further notice. This would be done throughout the day and they planned to set one of the watches with only trusted members to watch the location.
Two days went by with no action at the location. Just after sunrise on the third day a figure approached the location and could be seen going through the box. Connor was on watch and radioed to Dez. “Connor to Dez, we have a winner, over.”
“Do not engage! Switch over and listen, monitor for reaction.” Dez then switched the CB to channel eight. “Shift check, four hours to go. Over.”
Connor replied, “Post one, check. Over.”
Dez passed the walkie to a few others who repeated it. This now set shift changes to twelve-hour changes at noon and midnight. If they would attack it would be a likely time and they could plan for it. It had been relatively quiet since the liberation of the camp, but they knew it was not long term and there would be reprisals.
Still they had no idea who left the information. The men stayed at the outcropping for the evening and they carried out the watch change as they’d said over the walkie. This was done so that the men could observe it. Jeremy replaced Connor in the post that monitored the outcropping because Dez wasn’t sure who could be trusted and would only use those she was absolutely sure of. A few questioned the strange watch change as it was outside the normal schedule. It varied by the day; even days were three hours forty-five minutes and odd days were four hours fifteen minutes. That way the time was always changing and unless someone knew the schedule, which the note detailed, it would never be at the same time of day. Everyone was told that there was to be some trainings and they wanted to start off on a new schedule to get watches fresh and give those on watch first round so they could rest.
The watch remained for the twelve hours as planned. Dez went to each post explaining that they needed some time to get things ironed out. They were told they would have the whole next day off and asked to remain at post until they were relieved. They were to maintain radio silence and only courier messages were allowed. This was to be all part of training. Most were agreeable and happy to comply and only a few questioned or complained. Dez tried to make a mental note of the complaints.
After the noon watch change, following yet another twelve hours for those on watch and radio silence, all but channel eight that Dez carefully used for disinformation, a second man showed with a pack. They gathered the things from the box and left the pack behind climbing up and over the ridge. Not wanting to risk letting anything out over radio communication Jeremy who was now back on the post whistled to Charleigh and Toni who were below gathering wood. Using hand signals the best he could figure, he sent them for mom.
Dez came up the hill to the watch post where Jeremy flagged her to get down. Belly crawling into the post she looked at him hands out palm up silently asking, “What’s up?”
He pointed to his eyes and then to the outcropping, it had taken only thirty minutes for someone from the farm to go for the pack. Handing her the binoculars and whispering, “I can’t tell who it is with the hood up.”
Dez peered through them straining to see the figure. “It is definitely someone trying to remain hidden. They’re dodging from tree to tree. I can see them looking about as they go but still can’t tell who it is.” Returning them to Jeremy and nodding. “You see better than I do, can you make it out?”
“No but I’ll keep on it, they’ll turn the right way eventually.”
Gasping he reached out and poked Dez, pointing to the path on the side of the hill, someone was following. He looked away and to Dez. “It’s Joseph and Georgia.”
She grabbed the binoculars and looked for them, she could see that they were following the figure going to the outcropping. “Damn kids. They get to be teenagers and think they’re adults, we gotta stop em.”
Handing the binoculars back to Jeremy to continue watching she grabbed the radio and switched over to channel nine. They’d avoided using this channel to keep it open for emergency and the militia open comms. She knew Dickie monitored it for all incoming word from Ryan and the others. “Dickie, you listening? Over.”
Immediately Dickie’s voice came over the radio. “Roger that.”
“Meet me at position four ASAP! Over.”
“On my way, over.”
Looking to Jeremy. “Find out who that is!”
“Be careful mom.”
Smacking his arm she grinned at him. “Aren’t I always?”
“Yeah, ok… That’s what I’m afraid of.”
She made her way to meet with Dickie. She quickly told him what they’d seen and sent him up the trail after the kids. Looking at him she said solemnly. “It’s Georgia, she’s with Joseph. Please hurry there’s someone up there we’ve been watching.”
Dickie dropped his day pack and bolted up the trail. Jeremy was watching it all from his post. Horrified he watched as they drew closer, as the figures whom had left came back returning over the ridge a little behind them. Grabbing the radio still on channel nine he broke silence and called out loud enough to be heard below as well. “Oh my God! They’re closing in on them!”
Dickie was in a full run, branches slashing his face as he plowed through the underbrush in a direct path to them. He called out to his daughter and she stopped briefly, listening. The brush muffled his voice, keeping her from hearing what he was saying. Again, he called out, “Georgia, run!” They all heard it. Bang…A gunshot, then another. Jeremy watched, helpless to do anything as Joseph fell to the ground and then Georgia. Looking at the figure at the outcropping who’d turned at the sound he could see who it was.
His mouth fell open as the reality of the scene unfolded. Like slow motion he saw the children shot by the men on the ridge. Each falling to the path instantly. The men retreated back over the ridge just before Dickie burst through the brush. Scrambling over to them he immediately began to check their vitals. The figure at the outcropping had fallen to his knees. At first Jeremy thought he’d been shot as well, but once Dickie arrived at the children he ran for the far ridgeline.
Joseph lay curled in a fetal position on the path the shot hit him in his chest. He was not breathing and lay motionless. Georgia was shot in the stomach and also lay beside him. Unconscious but still breathing Dickie scooped her into his arms and began to run down the path. Only a few seconds behind him was John who grabbed up Joseph and followed.
Dez had already radioed for Ryan and had the truck ready to take the kids to town. Both Dickie and John leapt into the back of the truck with the children in their a
rms where Rebecca waited to try and help on the way.
She began CPR on Joseph who was unresponsive. He was already gone before they’d even made it to him. There wasn’t much blood, she guessed he’d been hit in the heart. Shaking her head at John she turned to look at Georgia. She’d awoken and was crying as Rebecca pulled her hands from her stomach. Deep dark red blood oozed from the wound. Rebecca knew this was signs of possible liver or arterial bleeding. Wrapping the blood pressure cuff around her arm it was difficult to get a reading with the truck bouncing them around, but she could tell it was low. She said nothing but Dickie and John both could see in her eyes she was worried.
Georgia reached for Dickie’s hand and held it weakly, blinking through the tears she said, “I’m sorry Daddy.”
Dickie could not hold in the tears as he held his daughter. Comforting her he whispered in her ear. She smiled slightly and closed her eyes. Looking up at Rebecca questioning in his eyes. With tears streaming down her face, she reached out to take her pulse. She looked back to Dickie and shook her head.
He banged on the window to the truck. Once it slowed he jumped out before it even stopped and angrily began walking back to the farm. Sam hopped from the driver’s seat and struck out after him while Dez climbed in the back to see about the kids. Rebecca sat sobbing while John gingerly covered them up. Dez was angry as well and called out after Dickie and Sam. “Get in the damn truck, it’s time to go hunting! I’ll not have these animals killing children.” Climbing into the driver’s seat she turned the truck around and caught up to them. Dickie refused to get into the truck, his blood boiling and tears running down his cheeks.
Dez hung out the window talking to him with a softer voice, cracking from her own tears. “Let’s get Georgia home and go find out who did this.” Finally, he relented and climbed into the front seat.
The truck was silent but for some sniffling and Dickie grumbling under his breath. As they passed the check point into the farm the watch could see the two covered bodies and knew they’d not made it. Pulling up to the barn Janice and Rita came over to help with the children while Charleigh and Laurie corralled the kids in the play area away from the truck.