by Cooper, DJ
Again, they all nodded in agreement. Then there were murmurs and questions about what she had in mind.
“Well, I’m thinking outside the box here, but I do have a few ideas: first is pepper spray, and next is super soaker type squirt guns.”
Sam almost shouted, laughing. “What the hell good are they?”
Dez laughed, “I figured someone might ask. We can fill them with ammonia or other unpleasant things like the cayenne tinctures. Ever try to breathe when you get ammonia in your face? It will surely slow down a thief or attacker and make him think twice.”
That got everyone going and Jeremy laughingly said. “Oh yeah, or if things get worse fill em with something flammable… that and a match would save on ammo as well.”
Toni added, “Aerosol hairspray and a match make a good flamethrower. Actually, a few things are flammable that will project when sprayed.”
Everyone laughed and agreed these things would surely not raise suspicion either. It was also agreed that they were not to spend all their money. If the banks opened on Tuesday they might need to pay some of the bills till they could recover the rest. If the banks did not open, they hoped the stores would not realize it was worthless for a little while anyway. This was a point of contention back and forth because some thought that it would lose a lot of its value even that soon.
Jeremy was adamant, “Store owners will immediately begin raising prices. We already saw it on the way here. I say we need to get whatever we want or need right away.”
Dez tried to diffuse some of the arguments that ensued and suggested they buy whatever they could or thought they would need and not worry about the money. She told them not to buy things in excess; things they would not need if things didn’t go to shit. But she noted that it wouldn’t hurt to have extras of things that they use anyway. She said they just wouldn’t have to go shopping any time soon. This way they could either return things or use them over time.
They paired up and took all the vehicles. Fuel was the first thing determined to be of utmost importance . They wanted to use the tanks in the cars as fuel containers and fill all of them along with anything else that would hold fuel.
Each pair had specific destinations. All were to look for ammo, lighters or matches, seeds and non-perishable foods and buy what they could. Everyone was reminded to not discuss the strange purchases and that they were to make something up to explain it. If people got too curious, it might make them a target. They all understood that this was the highest priority in the security aspect of things. Matt again reminded everyone, “This was the OpSec or operational security.” He suggested they say things like, “It was such a good sale I couldn’t resist.”
Sam repeated it, “Right, the key is we don’t want people knowing we have anything stocked up here.”
Each group was given a list and type of store to visit. Playing on the store type would make purchases look like whoever was shopping just had some kind of a project they were involved with, such as things like gardening, building, or they were simply going on a family campout or hunting trip. No one wanted to raise eyebrows and set off suspicion or panic.
Charleigh said she would stay behind with the kids and would work around the house. As the afternoon wore on she started to get anxious because everyone was gone so long. She gathered some of the reusable grocery bags and figured she would make themselves useful so she took the kids outside to gather acorns. She was good with herbs and natural things. Already anxious, she’d been planning on trying some of the things she’d learned lately about foraging. Trying to appear less anxious she thought, “No time like the present to start the acorn flour.”
Dez didn’t like leaving them without another person for protection. No one could have expected people to start acting out before the failure of the banks to reopen. For the most part, they all thought things were still ok; however, when Dez and Toni pulled into the driveway they heard Dylan screaming in the yard. They both jumped from the vehicle and ran over to Dylan, who had tear-streaked red cheeks and motioned to the backyard.
Dez told Toni to call Matt and Jeremy to get everyone home as soon as possible. She ran full speed and rounded the corner of the house where she was horrified to find two guys struggling with Charleigh and a third guy holding Ariel.
Toni went straight through the house while calling Jeremy and grabbed the .22 rifle as if grabbing a light jacket while passing through a room. It was her favorite and one she could shoot very accurately. Remembering what they discussed about non-lethal force earlier, she thought it was an excellent choice, but wasn’t going to take chances and would shoot to kill if necessary.
Toni was an excellent shot with the .22 and knew it. It was that confidence that made her so good with it. She was not as tiny a woman as Charleigh but she was still not what one would call formidable at first look. She was only two weeks older than Charleigh and quite pretty, with very long straight dark hair that made her sometimes seem almost mystical.
Creeping quietly out the back door, she poised herself behind the waist-high stone wall and began taking aim on one of the attackers. Dez shouted as she approached in a march, 9mm in hand.
“HEY! Get your hands off her!”
The guy that was holding Ariel spat out, “What do you think you’re gonna do bitch?” Ariel cried, reaching for her Mimi. She turned and scratched the man’s face. While he was distracted, Dez took aim at the guy’s knee. She nodded once in Toni’s direction and simultaneously she and Toni shot him in both knees. As he crumpled to the ground, Ariel tumbled across the lawn sprawling only a few feet from Dez.
From what seemed to be out of nowhere, Dylan ran over and grabbed her by the arm and almost dragging her, pulled her inside.
As soon as the shots rang out one of the other two that were struggling with Charleigh, a dirty looking man, who was obviously the leader said, “I’ll kill her if you don’t put that gun down!”
He motioned to his companion to go get Dez. None of them realized yet that Toni was behind the wall. They began to move toward Dez. The mouthy one roughly held Charleigh’s arm while she still struggled to break free.
Charleigh was strikingly beautiful and always had been, with long dark hair, slender and petite. Dez worried for her as she grew up but from an early age Charleigh insisted on taking steps to make sure she was capable of defending herself. It was no surprise to Dez when she wriggled her arm free and hit the leader in the groin while also bashing his nose with her head.
This startled him just enough that he pushed her away and smacked her in the face. Holding her by her wrist at arm’s length, preparing for another blow he began shouting orders to his two accomplices, “Just remember I get first run at both these bitches.”
“Stupid man,” Toni mumbled, as she took aim on the arm he was holding Charleigh with. She fired a single shot and caught him right at the elbow forcing him to release her.
As soon as his grip loosened, Charleigh wriggled free and bolted for the patio, crouching down alongside Toni.
Dez immediately shot his companion in the thigh and took aim on the second guy. He stopped short and stood with his hands up pleading for her to not shoot.
The mouthy leader began cursing and cradling his arm. He was rising to get on his feet and was headed for Dez in a rage. Another shot from the.22 rang out and hit him in the back of his knee, bringing him down wailing in agony. “You bitches are gonna die for this! I’m gonna take my time cutting you.”
Matt and Jeremy rounded the corner of the house as he was screaming obscenities at the girls. Matt walked up to him, placed his shotgun barrel right against his forehead and calmly stated, “I would rethink that strategy if I were you, ass hole.”
Jeremy, who was only a few years younger than Matt actually laughed out loud saying, “Man, did they pick the wrong women to mess with.”
Matt gave Jeremy a raised eyebrow and a nod, which he knew meant to follow his lead. He and Matt got along well and were constantly doing this bit where they would u
se that strong New England accent, sometimes making up whole stories.
Jeremy was better at it than Matt, and he stepped up and said in what he called his Boston talk, “Hey theah guy, looks like you ah kinda screwed theah buddy…. What were ya thinkin there guy’ these ain’t no hookahs ya know.”
To which Matt replied, “Yeah guy, you find hookahs and beeahs in isle tree at walmaht.”
Dez hated it when these two would make jokes at the worst possible moment. She stood angrily, hands on hips. “Gah, I hate this. Why don’t you just shoot em or something?”
This time though it was perfectly played for the effect it would have. The one guy who had not been shot began to cry saying. “You’re all crazy. Who the hell makes jokes when they are gonna kill a guy?”
Jeremy laughed out loud again, “C’mon theah guy, you know this is wicked funny!”
Matt ended the joking. Getting really close to the leader he said in a voice that was just enough on the terrifying side to make his eyes widen, “You have one of three choices. One, I can kill you right now, I doubt anyone will miss you. Two, I can call the cops, and have you hauled off. Or three, you and your buddies can get the hell off my lawn.”
Matt grabbed the leader by his wounded elbow and dragged him to the driveway. He put his face up close to his said, “But know this and remember it well. If you ever come near my family again, I’ll make sure you will not die quickly, but understand you WILL die!”
He paused for it to sink in and said, “Do I make myself clear?” He shoved the guy in the direction of the street, jerking his head, silently motioning him to go.
The thugs were still scrambling to their feet and struggling to help each other walk. Lynn walked up and having witnessed their antics spoke up and said, “Damn, guys I didn't get to shoot anybody with my new gun.”
She then waved it about for all to admire. She kept her .45 and simply purchased a brand-new Ruger SR9C that was exactly like the one Jeremy carried. She looked them over and said, “Can I shoot this one?” Pointing to the one not bleeding, “That one there. He ain't been shot yet.”
Sam was not so amused and said to Matt, “It’s not a promising idea to let these guys go. We need to call the police.”
Matt pulled him aside and said, “I will talk to you in a minute about it. I know moving forward they could pose a problem, but I think it is the best choice right now.”
Sam looked at him, quizzically tilting his head to the side but said nothing. Matt nodded saying, “I’ll explain why in a few minutes after we get rid of these guys.”
The attackers picked up the pace before the guys could change their minds, and they hurriedly scrambled off. When they knew they were far enough away, the leader began shouting back obscenities. Lynn responded by shooting a small branch off of the tree above them and waving her gun in the air. “Keep talking, and the next one will be a leg.” Then turning, she strutted into the yard.
Matt and Sam discussed Matt’s decision to let the thugs leave. Sam was adamant they should call the authorities, but Matt explained, “My problem with calling the police is that I don’t want any questions from authorities and take the chance of having the guns seized that were involved in the shooting. You know as well as I do it is standard procedure to take the firearm as evidence in a shooting.”
Sam reluctantly agreed and said, “I think it was an appropriate choice after all, not only for that, but we don’t need anyone poking around and knowing what we have going on here. I didn’t think of that at first, but it is definitely good OpSec,” winking at Matt.
Matt went on to explain that all the joking he and Jeremy were doing had been done on purpose. They didn’t want the thugs to see how shaken everyone really was. “I saw the look Jeremy had when he started the joke. I knew this would leave them wondering if we were all so badass as to make jokes in the middle of an attack. Joking while killing guys already down in a time when law still existed would be totally crazy.”
Matt absent-mindedly began to dismantle Dez’s gun and started cleaning it while he continued, “This’ll make them wonder if we really are batshit crazy now, how would we react if everything really were in chaos?”
Sam understood and agreed. Shaking his head, he said, “You two really amaze me sometimes. I don’t think I would have thought of such a thing.”
With a sideways squinted look, he laughed, “Oh, and incidentally, should I worry about you two being actually crazy?”
Matt made a wide-eyed crazy stare at Sam, and that got them all laughing. Still laughing, they headed over to where the rest of the group had been checking on the girls.
Charleigh was beginning to show the signs of a nice shiner, but otherwise, they were unharmed. Ariel was still quite shaken and could not be pried off her mother’s lap for anything.
Dez made a big deal about how brave Dylan was. She explained to everyone how he ran over and grabbed Ariel, saving her. “He took her to safety after the guy dropped her.”
Toni was a bit shaken now that the adrenaline had passed and was telling Jeremy about how nervous she really was. As she was speaking Conner came in with a horrified look, shouting, “Where did all the blood come from outside?”
Frantically, he started looking around the room for Charleigh and Ariel. Charleigh got up, shiner in full bloom now, approaching Conner. “We are both fine dear, some problems, but… the blood is not ours.”
Connor adored his family and doted on them all the time. Dez said they were the prettiest couple anyone ever saw. Connor was not very tall, and it did at times make Charleigh fret over not being able to wear her four-inch heels. Afterward, she would laugh, saying her feet never felt so good. He was a handsome man that was stocky and muscular and seemed to have a perpetual five o’clock shadow. Busy fussing over her eye and Ariel’s skinned knee, Dez smiled a thoughtful smile at how happy she was for her daughter and was pleased with how Charleigh adored him.
Charleigh had first seen him when she was still in middle school and at one time told her mom how she’d tried to impress him with her skateboarding prowess. In fact, she could barely stand on the thing without a mishap. and she immediately proceeded to fall flat on her face while trying to show off on the halfpipe. Connor was one of Jeremy’s friends and told Jeremy shortly after her skateboarding mishap that he liked her.
Back then, Connor and Jeremy had some words about his sister and the content of that conversation had never been revealed. However, the two of them laughed about it sometimes.
Everyone thought Connor was too shy to ask her out. Later, though, it was revealed he feared Jeremy would punch his lights out for some reason; one which Jeremy refused to acknowledge. There was a question, but everyone was pretty sure of how that came about.
It was not for quite a few years that they had gotten together, and it was now all a funny family story they loved to tell.
Chapter 6
“Ready for anything?”
“Security is mostly superstition. It does not exist in nature, avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.
– Helen Keller
That evening Matt called a meeting of those in their new prepper group to explain what had happened that very afternoon. He recounted the incident and talked about setting up a system where others could come to assist if things like this started happening more. “I think it might be smart to start looking at this as if we are already on our own and try to get organized.” After a discussion on ways to covertly signal to others in the group the status of a situation, it was the consensus that to keep it simple was best.
A system of red and yellow bandanas was ironed out - yellow meant all was safe and red meant alert. Some other topics were discussed such as what each had done that day to get prepared, if anyone needed any help, or if there were other concerns. After talking about a few mishaps and issues that presented over at the cul-de-sac, the discussion was concluded and the group left.
Matt figur
ed he would call George to tell him about what happened. He waited for George to answer, a little nervous because he was not exactly sure how he would talk with him about it. One thing was for sure though, he knew George would overreact if he heard about it later and was not given all the details.
George answered, “George here, militia headquarters.”
Matt immediately knew how to approach it, saying, “Hey George, Matt here.”
George, with a less than interested tone, replied, “Matt…”
Matt continued, “George, I wanted to inform you of an incident today at my place and maybe get together to talk about organizing everyone to work together for the safety of everyone in our community.”
As he was describing the incident to George, Matt chose to omit the bandanas and gunfire from the story. He also left out the community meeting and said they used garden tools and the machete for weapons.
He explained to George that he felt the militia presence might be a promising idea. Telling him each man offered to take a patrol with some of his guys to increase the numbers, George agreed that it might work.
After Matt hung up the phone, Tawny asked, “Why did you change the weaponry of the incident and how come you didn’t tell him about the bandanas?”
Sam explained, saying, “I know you’re all wondering about it. Matt and I felt that, while it is indeed likely that George’s group is needed, George cannot be trusted. He would have probably felt like someone was stepping on his toes because we took out the bad guys ourselves. Another thing, if he ever becomes a problem, we don’t want him to know about the warning system.”
Matt continued, “George is on a power trip, and his volatile nature will surely get men killed in the heat of things.” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “For the time being, we have to work with him for the good of the community. Hopefully, he will not go all crazy in this, but somehow I feel like that is exactly what he will do.” Matt went on to explain that George may have gone and told the police of the incident just to make sure he was the boss man of the community militia and would probably enjoy seeing them have problems.