Trekking Home

by Jeffrey Miller

  Nate slowed up some because up ahead he thought he saw something move across the road. He flipped the bright lights on, and the massive Hella mounted fog lights mounted on the front brush bar of the Tundra. Nate was sure he saw a coyote running down the road. Nate waited for it to leave the road but it kept straight down the shoulder of the road. Driving closer, he could now tell it was a huge German shepherd. Nate slowed up. It had a reflective collar. He pulled over and stopped the truck the dog also stopped and slowly turned.

  Nate climbed out of the truck and stood to see what the dog would do. It wagged its tail slowly head down. It looked exhausted. Its hair looked dirty in the lights of the truck. Nate reached in and turned the lights off and left the normal driving light on. He walked slowly to the front of the vehicle and squatted down.

  “Well come here boy” Nate said calling the dog over slapping his knee gently to come. The dog slowly made its way closer, seemingly nervous. The dog was beautiful minus the dirt. It wasn’t by any means a small dog but wasn’t the largest Sheppard he had seen. It was close, though. The dog looked to be only a few years old with still more time to grow. Finally, it came up to Nate, who had changed his voice to a softer one as he petted the long hair on his head. The sad eyes of the dog looked up at Nate. Slowly it licked at Nate's hand, then placed on paw on his knee. He turned the collar around to see the tag. It just read Samson. No address, nothing to indicate where it came from or where it was going. He flipped the tag over, and it read Lincoln, NE Animal Clinic.

  “You are a long way from someone,” Nate said. Nate stood, and the dog followed him to the side of the truck rear door. He reached in and unzipped a bag of jerky he had. He removed several long pieces and slowly fed them to the dog. One by one, the dog ate them down, as Nate pulled out his half drank water bottle and tipped it back after the dog was done eating. The dog lapped at the pouring water feverishly.

  Nate looked around. He couldn’t leave this dog like this. Nate’s new family was growing fast. He pushed his pack over in the back seat, removed a small blanket from his pack a cheap rolled up throw and spread it across the seat section.

  “Come on Samson, come,” Nate said slapping the seat, the dog was not stupid and jumped high up into the truck lying down immediately. Nate was impressed.

  Chapter 19

  Of their own accord

  The sign said in big red letters, Oklahoma. After what seemed forever, Nate was finally out of Colorado. It was very dark far out here with no one around for miles. He was getting sleepy and thought of nothing now but pulling over for what would likely be his last day on the road. He wanted to keep going but thought of the dangers of being not rested in the event of any more dangers. Nate drove a little further not seeing too many abandoned cars in the area. The panhandle of Oklahoma was sparsely populated at best. He turned south on 385 headed for Boise City, Oklahoma knowing where he was he needed to get on 287 and head southeast. The trip through Oklahoma wouldn’t take long. The little town of Boise City was kind of dead in appearance. Traffic was nonexistent minus the cars that littered the road every so many miles. He noticed many of the plates were from Texas. He wondered about those people how they got back home. He also knew many Texans worked and lived in Oklahoma.

  After getting on 287, he drove only a few more miles before finally deciding to come to a stop. He took the truck off the road and down a small ravine to place them out of view. He drove back up the side of the road coming to a stop behind several large scrubby looking trees. Nate shut the truck off and stepped out into the high grass. He opened the rear door, and Samson jumped down and went to the rear of the truck to take his potty break.

  “Good idea Samson,” Nate said looking up at the stars. He gazed south, knowing he was only miles away from the Texas border. A smile came across his face. When this journey began, he was somewhat aware of the world’s relentless and risky financial standings. As our Nation goes, we could only keep pretending for so long. Printing money to bail out institutions was wrong. The practice did nothing but hurt the Economies. However, the Government didn’t believe in what some called natural corrections. They played their political games, greed, and power where their desires and now everyone was paying more than they had ever dreamed. Nate could hear Ben stirring and looked over at him, but he fell back asleep. Now Nate had another person in his life, how was he going to be able to be the person Ben needed, Nate had planned for a family but had not met the right woman yet. How would he fair now with a kid trying to find a woman that would accept not only Nate but Ben as well?

  Nate felt Samson next to him and was finishing his own personal business up. Nate zipped up his pants and patted the dog’s massive head. Samson jumped up, placing his two front paws on Nate’s chest. The dog was much bigger that Nate initially believed.

  “Well guess I have two extra mouths to feed don’t I, big boy?” Nate said holding the dog up ruffling his fur on the back of his neck as the dog's tongue flickered at Nate. The dog seemed very happy to be with Nate. Perhaps he had been lost or even abandoned Nate was not clear, but he knew the dog would never see Lincoln, Nebraska again. Nate patted the rear seat and Samson jumped back into the rear seat of the Tundra. Nate gave the dog a few jerky strips and closed the door. He had no real dog food. Nate sat in his seat and leaned it back a few degrees without touching the moving dog behind him. Nate was very glad to have the dog. Dogs were like having an early warning system and shepherds were great guard dogs. They were very faithful and courageous while being very protective and loving at the same time. Nate was comfortable around the breed, having worked closely with a few in the Army.

  Nate closed his eyes trying to think about the reunion ahead with his family. His father Harry was a strong, self-sufficient type. Nate always told him that he was born a century or more too early. A few years back, there was a TV show on called Mountain Men. His dad could have been on the show as far as self-reliance went. Nate’s mother was very much the same. Betty grew up in the dustbowl era. Like Nate’s father, they were both raised on a ranch much smaller that they have now. They were both poor and lived only ten miles from one another but never knew the other existed until after the Korean War. Betty and Harry are known in the county. Mostly recognized for the size of the ranch and the number of cattle, they were not poor by any stretch of the word now. They still lived simple lives, not putting much of their wealth in the banks, they instead bought land and other commodities. As with many families with money who always got what they wanted when they wanted, it was the opposite with Nate’s upbringing. Nate nor his siblings had it easy; they had to work for things they wanted and then some. Harry always told the kids,

  “Nothing’s for free, you work, or you don’t have, period” Nate did just that. He worked for the first acre of land and bought it along with the small cabin he placed on it.

  After retiring from the army, Nate invested more money into several more acres. Eventually, he had managed to accumulate just over two hundred acres. It wasn’t a lot compared to his father’s total land, but it was a moderate amount for his age. Nate was the youngest of his parent’s kids. He was their surprise. Giving birth at an older age nearly did his mother in, Nate was often reminded. Perhaps that was one reason he wanted to get home. He felt like he owed it to them even though he knew they would have told him to stay with Gene and Mattie until things cleared up. They were so much like his parents. It was very hard to leave, especially when he made such a connection with Sammie so fast. She had not escaped his mind; often he would fall asleep thinking about their brief conversations. He had not ever met a woman as forward as her. Nate’s eyes grew dark with the last images in his head of Sammie.

  Nate’s eyes opened to the sound of laughter and dog sniffing. Ben and Samson were out of the truck and rolling around in the tall grass. Ben was laughing hard as Samson kept charging Ben and stopping at the last moment only to back up and repeat the playful game.

  Nate opened his door and went over to the two.

 
; “Well, guess you have figured out we have a dog now?” Nate said taking a knee and joining Ben in the game. Samson ran straight to Nate now, doing the same until Nate grabbed his tail as he turned. Samson spun around with what looked like a smile on his face, tongue flapping, running back to repeat.

  “Ben, I think we will be home today, let’s eat and then get going” Ben jumped up and followed Nate to the truck.

  “How about a big breakfast today, scrambled eggs and bacon with a big glass of milk?” Nate asked. Ben laughed.

  “All from packages,” Ben said giggling. He was right and knew this from having a few since meeting Nate. The milk was dehydrated powdered milk, but it was better than nothing. Nate prepared the small camp stove away from the truck and taller grass. Samson stayed with Ben and sat watching curiously about the act of cooking taking place and maybe hoping for a meal himself. Nate thought about what he could give Samson and decided to make his last scrambled eggs pouch just for the dog. He would likely eat it all, and it was good for his growing coat.

  Breakfast went fast for all three. Nate gathered up their mess and packed up everything. Everyone in the truck now, he drove up the embankment and got back on the road headed south for the Oklahoma-Texas border. The skies were very clear, but up ahead Nate could see smoke. His training told him it was very near the border. Nate started to get that feeling in his gut. This time, he wasn’t going to ignore the warning. He pulled over to Ben’s surprise and informed Ben that there might be trouble ahead, and he needed to do something. Nate opened the passenger’s side rear door and removed all non-essential bags to the back of the truck and asked Ben to get in the back with the dog. Ben did as asked, acting a little nervous he stepped out and then back into the rear seat. The dog laid his head on Bens lap. Nate removed his AR-15 and then stopped. He remembered he had something that would work better. He put his rifle away and reached into the back of the truck into the storage space on the Ranger removing a pistol grip AK-47 with a 42 round mag fully loaded. He removed his Glock and sat it on the dash for now.

  Nate stepped back into the truck with the AK and put it down in the front passenger seat. He then raised up the center console so he could reach the weapon easier.

  “Ok, Ben not sure what's going on up there but we will get through,” Nate said, looking back at Ben to make sure he buckled in good.

  Nate put the truck in drive and headed south. He knew the area from previous trips and realized once he crested the hill, he would see the border of Texas. The truck picked up speed, and as he came over the hill, he was surprised to see several Humvee’s and some regular pickup trucks. The Military vehicles read Texas National Guard. The trooper was right; they had placed border guards at the border. Nate cursed himself but then thought for a second.

  Damn it, I live here, and I’m going home regardless of what they might say or do.

  Nate didn’t stop he headed right for the four-man checkpoint. He only stopped when two of the men with AR-15’s approached his truck from the front. Nate had his window down already. One man approached as the others slowly looked over his truck walking around.

  “Where are you going, sir?” The man maybe ten years older asked Nate. Nate smiled at him. Not yet, he thought to himself.

  “Home, in Texas” Nate replied.

  “Well, we are checking everyone and everything before they come in, step out sir.” he said waving toward the side steps on his truck.

  Nate’s smile turned to annoyance. He realized that these men were likely following orders from someone, someone already here. But he wasn’t about to just step out and have them take everything and maybe allow him to go on his way on foot.

  “Excuse me, come closer I didn’t hear you over my truck,” Nate yelled louder pretending.

  The man may be a real Guardsman or not, he couldn’t tell. He walked over closer.

  “You have to step out of the truck, along with anyone you have in there. We will decide if you go through once we look over your truck.”

  “Oh, I see, well you need to know something right now. First, I have a child in this truck and one very protective highly trained war dog he is a veteran himself, just like me. I live not far from here and have traveled miles from Montana to get home. You should get your commanding officer here now. I will talk with him.” Nate said, trying to be as calm as possible. The man looked shocked.

  “Or what? Now get on your radio, and call over your commander. We are not getting out until he is here!” He slowly reached up to his lapel mic and whispered into it, asking for a Lieutenant McNeely.

  “Did you just call for a McNeely? As in Randal?” Nate asked out loud.

  “Yes, I did, you know him?” Nate breathed a sigh of relief. His cousin was the lieutenant commander of the Texas National Guard of North Texas. He thought he was gone on vacation to Padre Island when this stuff all began. Then Nate realized he probably was but got home a lot easier than he did.

  “He is my cousin, is he here?” Nate asked getting excited to see him.

  “Yes, he is driving up now pissed as hell. You woke him from his sleep.” The man replied.

  Nate laughed.

  Nate shut the truck off and asked Ben to get out but hold onto the dog really good and come around to his side. The soldiers all gathered around guns still up. Nate holstered his weapon and left the AK in the seat. About that time a single golf cart came flying up with one angry man already yelling at the soldier.

  “Who the hell is refusing to do what we ask and demanding to speak to me,” he said as he approached. Suddenly he stopped and removed his glasses and then his jaw dropped.

  “Nate? Nate is that you?” he said as he soon rushed in to hug his favorite cousin. The two men embraced one another like any brothers would. They were much like brothers, raised up together.

  “Oh my Lord Nate, I think we are going to have some very surprised people back home. God bless, God, bless.” He took Nate over to meet the man who stopped him. Nate explained to the man many of the things he had seen on the trip down through the states. Nate apologized for having to pull the gun on him. The soldier reassured him he would have done the same if he was in his shoes. Randal escorted them all through the entry point and across the border to a makeshift camp. Hundreds of cars were sitting on the other side of a hill. Randal told Nate of the massive hordes of people that flowed into Texas from nearby States. Texas still had some power not much, but Texas was working hard to get its grid up, which was separate from the rest of the nation. Texas also had hundreds of windmills and solar energy.

  Randal had Nate drive his truck to his personal command post. Parking the truck next to Randal’s own truck, he looked at Nate and his belongings.

  “Well Nate, I knew you would make it back. Hell with all of this stuff, how could you not?” Randal said laughing as he led them into the command tent. Inside were several other officers looking over a Rand McNally map that sat on a card table. One light hung above it powered by a solar generator.

  “Nate this is what we know, we can’t protect every place of entry, of course, but we try. Even the ports we have numerous water craft, gunboats and even some of the US Navy down there, especially after what happened up in New York and DC.” He said. He then saw the expression on Nate’s face change.

  “What happened? Randy, I haven’t heard anything since the markets crashed and last I heard, just power outages due to people not working because there is no money to pay them, banks closed, etc.”

  “Oh Nate, its far worse than that now. Yes, at first it was just that, and when I say just, I don’t mean to imply it wasn’t a bad deal. Still is, but we had some bad groups already in position, like terror cells, and when the shit hit the fan, well they stepped up their plans.” Randal informed.

  “Randy, is it safe here for Ben to step outside to take the dog for a walk before we keep going?”

  “Of course, but I will have one of my men escort them also.” Randy motioned for one of the men near him to take the boy and the dog out
for a close by walk. When they left, Nate continued.

  “So we had an attack?” Nate asked.

  “Yes, but it wasn’t a nuclear one like everyone thought, it was some damn Chinese EMP weapon that worked like a nuke would on our systems. However it wasn’t the Chinese, we don’t know yet, or we haven’t heard who it was. It was just their technology.” he explained.

  “Then how do we know it wasn’t them?” Nate asked.

  “Because they were attacked far worse than us, our government has reported this using Ham radio and shortwave.”

  “So we don’t know who did it. What do we know right now?” Nate asked, not sure that he wanted to know. For the past month or so of travel, he had been living with the assumptions that things would get better once the markets and the government were able to fix the money issues but this, this was something entirely different.

  “Well, we know the entire eastern seaboard, and most of the northern Ohio Valley states have no power. The weapon used to destroy so many transformers is from China I might add. We also know since the second week of the market collapse the attack occurred, nearly every major city in that region is on fire. The reports of deaths coming across the wires are not good. Needless to say, people with health issues, the big ones like diabetes and heart and oxygen problems all went first. The hospitals that had backup power are all but empty now after running out of fuel. I won't even talk about the lack of emergency foods for the ever growing number of FEMA camps in those states.”

  “What about other countries, can they not step in and help like we always did for them after disasters?” Nate knew this wasn’t going to happen.

  “Well, they might if they didn’t have their financial problems with looting, rioting, and governmental takeovers by rival factions, no we are alone,” Randy said. Nate looked down at the map. He could see Fritch, Texas on it clear as day. He was only about an hour drive from home. How much has changed since he left his Ram and humped it on foot? Randal looked at the map and then back to Nate.