“This man is your leader now, and his security guards will keep you safe. Those men over there,” pointing to the last security detail bound by both hands and feet, “will be leaving here, never to return. From this day forward, there will be no more enslavement, no more auctions, no more confiscation of weapons, and no more pit fights.
“Anyone here is free to leave right now. There is a FEMA camp in Trinidad that would be glad to have you. You won’t live free there, but you will be protected. Anyone here is free to fish the lake or bathe as they see fit. I do believe Mitch over there is going to give a fishing class this afternoon for anyone needing a refresher or new to the idea. It’s your best chance to eat. We have a few in our group as well that will be fishing today and would be happy to help you out. Isn’t that right, Lance?”
“Well, we do need to restock. I guess so. Sure, we will all pitch in and break bread tonight. Are you okay with that, guys?” I asked Lonnie and Vlad.
“Sure,” Lonnie replied. “It gives us a good early start in the morning.”
“I would suggest,” said Vlad, “we move our camp closer this morning to be near the activities and to be prepared to get out only what we need tonight for an early departure in the morning. The longer we stay in one place, the more stuff we drag off the trailers.”
“We get a little too comfortable is what you’re saying,” I replied.
“Exactly,” he said. “I can always count on you to see the right side of things.”
“Do you mean your side?” I asked a bit sarcastically, in fun.
“Yes, that’s what I said,” he responded, laying on the thick accent. “Now if you will excuse me, I have a lady friend who has asked for a ride around the lake.”
“There it is,” I said, elbowing Lonnie lightly in the ribs. “Vlad, the ladies’ man, and Mike is becoming a motivational speaker right before our eyes.”
Mike smiled with us, lightening the mood for a split second, and didn’t seem to mind the observation before getting serious again. He motioned for Lonnie and me to go inside the new leader’s tent for a talk. It was just us and him, plus three of his apparent top security guys.
“I’ll make this quick,” said Mike. “I’m guessing you took care of the issue in the pit last night?”
“Yes, my guys finished it.”
“Good. Then it’s up to you to lead these people, at least the ones who stay, which looks like most now. They are counting on you to do the right thing, keep them protected and fed. It’s harder to accomplish when you’re doing the right thing, but not impossible. Can you do that?”
“Yes, I’m confident I can.”
“Good. We’re headed to Colorado, as you may already know, and have a good communication line. If I hear you allowing any nonsense to happen, as we had here just yesterday, I will come back here, if I have to walk, and take it from you the hard way. Are we clear?”
“Yes, we are,” he replied.
“Good, let’s get our camp moved and start fishing,” said Mike, grinning like none of this ever happened.
* * * *
“Lance, get your boys,” called out Mike, with a renewed sense of life I hadn’t seen since we brought my twin son back in New Mexico. “You too, Jake; bring your boy—and Lonnie, your girl and boy. And your friends, Lance. Tell the dads to bring their kids, and we meet lakeside. Dads and kids fishing in 30!” he called out excitedly.
“What’s up with him?” asked Jake, overhearing the rant. “Is he on drugs?”
“Yes, he is!” I told him, with only Vlad around. “He’s on the kind that kills everyone except the taker.”
“Only if they deserve it!” chimed in Vlad.
“He freed an entire village,” I added, “ruled by people worse…or maybe I should say less empathetic to the common person than him. He’s on a high, like last time with Nate’s group, but this one is bigger. You’re welcome, you know, Vlad, to join us fishing.”
“Oh no, I have a thing,” replied Vlad.
“You have a thing?” asked Jake, raising one eyebrow, not caring if he was prying.
“Yes, just a…well…just some plans for this afternoon is all.”
“Bring her by the lake; we can tell her funny stories about you,” I joked.
“Yes, that is precisely why I won’t. Maybe someday we will have some little guys running around with heavy Russian accents who like to fish! Until then, I have a thing.”
* * * *
We all pitched in on the pack-up. It goes quicker every time.
“Tomorrow should be a breeze,” remarked Joy, “and I’m ready to move on anyway.”
“Me too,” I told her. “Every stop makes me want to just plant roots and not head towards the one place I’m sure we will have to help defend with blood.”
“We’ve been doing that all along, honey—this whole time.”
“You’re right,” I agreed, kissing her on the forehead.
“Now go and get some quality time with the boys,” she told me. “Once we hit the road, it gets serious again, and I know you won’t see them much.”
“What about you?” She smiled, pointing towards the women on the trailer, holding up bottles of wine.
“We will miss you boys. It’s going to be so hard, in fact devastating, for a few long hours,” she quipped, keeping in character with some Southern Belle from a movie seventy-five years ago. “But as God is my witness, we will never be lonely again!”
“I don’t think that’s the line,” I pointed out, “but that’s a heck of an audition. You’ve got the part, sweetheart!”
“Oh my,” she said, with her hand over her mouth and still hamming it up. “It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.” I shook my head, laughing.
* * * *
“Come on, boys. Let’s go fishing with Uncle Mike.”
“Yay, Daddy! Can Danny come?”
“Sure, Hudson. He’ll be there with Javi and your friends from back home.”
* * * * * * *
Chapter Ten
Lake Pueblo State Park
Pueblo, Colorado
The afternoon was good. Not expected, but safe as we could get in this Next-World. I would spend time with my boys and my wife because tomorrow was a new day—a day guaranteed by no man, only God if it is His will.
Teaching the group to fish was fun for all, and I gave up four YoYo automatic fishing reels to be used collectively by the newly named group, known as the Lake Pueblo Occupiers. Mitch, we found out, was not joking, or even slightly exaggerating, his fishing abilities as he clocked in not only the largest fish but also the biggest haul. He was officially appointed head fisherman for the new group.
“It was worth giving up my guns,” he told me that afternoon while sporting a nearly new Kimber Mountain Ascent bolt action .30-06 rifle. “Check it out,” he said, handing it to me.
“It’s light,” I replied, never having held one.
“It should be,” he said. “Used to go for a couple thousand dollars before the scope. I got it from my old buddy and now new leader. It was worth the wait to get it back,” he added, hugging his girlfriend.
“All I know is when you’re done today, you will be bathing in this lake,” she said, “and so will I… Who knows? You may even get lucky tonight,” she added.
“This day just keeps getting better!” he said. “Thank you all for helping us out here. You changed all of our lives.”
* * * *
I noticed a group of all men, maybe 15 or 20, off to the side of the lake.
“What’s with those guys?” I asked the new Occupiers leader, as Mike glared at them.
“Those are the men who traded their wives and girlfriends over the past few weeks for a fishing pass. The women we still have here don’t want them back, and I don’t see as I can blame them. Even their kids won’t speak to them. So, for now, at least they stay away from us and do their own thing.
“I guess I spoke too soon,” he said, watching three of the men approach.
“What c
an I help you with?” said the leader.
They looked beyond him, and two put their hands into the air. The leader’s security team had rifles trained on the men.
“Wait, hold up,” he commanded to his men. “Let’s see what they want… So, what do you want, gentlemen?” he asked.
“We want our women and children back, and our guns,” said the only one without his hands raised.
“So, you’re the leader of the misfits who cowardly trade their women to be enslaved so you can eat?” asked Mike, growing flushed.
His two friends were bumbling with some sort of apologies for even being born.
“Go back to your camp and bring the rest over here,” Mike barked at the two.
They turned, whimpering like they had been smacked on the nose trying to steal food off the counter, and waved to their friends to join the conversation.
“So, you’re the leader?” asked Mike again once they were all there to hear.
“Yep. Ain’t nobody else got the stones to stand up for what’s owed. Isn’t that right, boys?”
Nobody spoke.
“Now, I want what’s owed.”
“Owed to who?” asked Mike, now dominating his group’s side of the conversation.
“Owed to me,” the man replied, smiling. “My guns and my lady… Now hand them over before things go bad for you.”
“For me?” said Mike, cold and not raising his voice.
“That’s what I done said, boy.”
The new Occupier leader looked at Mike, surprised he was so calm. He waived for his guards to stay put, wanting to see where this exchange may end up.
“You men all want him for your new leader?” Mike called out.
“Of course they do!” said the man, feeling a bit cockier.
“I’m not asking you. I’m asking them.”
“They do what I say,” he said, putting a finger in Mike’s face.
* * * *
Vlad and I saw the commotion from a distance. I could see clearly with binoculars, but I couldn’t hear what was being said.
“I left my binos on the trailer,” said Vlad. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know, but it’s about to worsen,” I said.
Jake chimed in. “He’s got his finger in Mike’s face. Here, take a look. I’ve got an extra set,” Jake added, handing them to Vlad.
We all looked and were surprised, even after all we had been through.
“Do you remember the last time someone put a finger in another man’s face?” Jake asked me.
“How could I forget?” I replied. “That Lawrence guy from my office on that very first day it happened and that thug he pointed at weren’t nearly as dangerous as Mike.”
“I think this may end up the same,” continued Jake.
“What happened on the first day?” asked Vlad.
“This guy Lawrence pointed his finger back then, and was dead in a few minutes,” replied Jake.
The next moment happened fast, and the three of us would never completely agree on the gritty details. Mike stepped close, so the man’s finger was touching the tip of his nose. He swung his right arm and left, clapping his palms hard onto the man’s ears. This scream we could hear. Mike had him on the ground, knees on his back, with his arm stretched out.
“You just may be the first man to put his finger in my face. Which one was it?” Mike asked, squeezing each one individually. “I can’t remember if it was the index or the middle one. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers...”
The man did holler as Mike opened his buck knife with a flip.
“Please, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just horsing around is all. I’m sorry I pointed at you.”
“It’s not really about that anymore,” said Mike, keeping a good hold on the man. “I see he’s a righty,” he said, now only talking to the other men up from the lake. “This means you reel your pole with your left hand.”
Mike quickly let go of his right hand and grabbed his left.
Others in his group stood still, not attempting to intervene and backing away a few steps. “Every time you spin the reel, you should think of the woman you gave up to be sold. You sacrificed her; you all did,” he said, lunging forward with lightning speed, catching another man’s foot and pulling it out from underneath, toppling him to the ground.
“That’s enough,” the downed man said, slowly getting up. “We don’t want any part of this—right, guys?”
“No! No! Not me!” they all agreed.
“I’m leaving tomorrow morning, either way,” continued Mike, “but I always leave a memory. It’s good or bad, depending on who you ask. Yours won’t be good, but the rest of you will remember the lesson for a very long time.”
Mike took his knife to the first two fingers, sparing the man’s thumb. In a moment, they were off with a split second of crunching bone. The man screamed as he was let up, and he ran frantically back to his base.
“He’ll live,” said Mike to the others. “You all can forget about the women and children you left behind. You’re not husbands—or fathers, for that matter. I want you all gone from this lake before morning. If I see one of you here before I leave tomorrow, hell is going to get some new recruits. Come back after that, and these boys will shoot on sight,” he said, pointing to the new leader and security detail.
“You don’t need those guys hanging out around here,” Mike said aloud to the new leader, tossing the bloodied fingers towards him as he quickly stepped back.
* * * *
“Did he just cut that guy’s fingers off?!” asked Aiden, walking up with his own monocular.
“It appears that way,” I told him, “and it looks to be about the end of it. He always ties up loose ends before moving on. We’ll be back on the road tomorrow.”
“Can I ask him about it? I mean, what the hell?!” inquired Aiden.
“No!” we all said together.
“Don’t ever bring it up unless he does,” I told him. “And also, don’t spread it around camp.”
“It’s done, like it never happened,” added Vlad.
* * * *
“Here he comes,” said Jake, “straight for us.”
“All right, everyone. Just keep cool,” I told them.
“Hey guys, what’s shakin?” asked Mike, walking up.
“You okay?” I said, pointing to his blood-stained hands.
“Oh sure, just a cut is all. Let’s get back to fishing,” he said, rinsing his hands in the lake.
* * * *
We fished another two hours, switching poles, so everyone got a chance. In the end, we had enough for everyone to have their fill in both camps.
The new leader of the Lake Pueblo Occupiers gave a sincere apology for what happened over the last few weeks.
“As most of you saw, the threat has been eliminated, and we will start anew. We wish our new friends strength and luck as they make their way north through the mountains, and we thank them sincerely for righting the tragedies we have endured under the former rule.”
The new leader vowed to have his men handle security for both groups tonight.
“No need on our behalf,” said Mike. “We’re always prepared.”
My trust level with them, and Joy agreed, was north of 50 percent but not much over the threshold. With our main group and newer Airstream travelers, we were able to cut our security to one hour per person, and we all voted to give Mike the night off.
* * * *
The gunfire started around two in the morning, and it was all coming from the other camp. I counted at least fifteen shots from two or more AR-15s, followed by a 30-second pause, with another burst nearly the same. I had finished my shift two hours earlier and was in a dead man’s sleep when it started. My leg had just started feeling better before I banged around in the dark looking for my flashlight that I always had right beside me.
I heard shouting nearby, sounding like women’s voices, and those farther around the lake like men. Ri
ngo and Mini were barking loudly.
Mike was the first one out of his tent. “So much for a night off,” he said to Sheila. “Stay inside with Javi. I’ll be back soon.”
“What’s going on?” I asked Shane, remembering he was on duty now.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Aiden and I heard shooting from the camp towards the other guys Mike was messing with earlier, I guess. Hard to see, even with the night goggles, but it looked like two women shooting.”
“Of course it is!” said Mike, laughing.
“What do you mean?” asked Vlad coming around on his crutches.
“They’re pissed off is what I mean. They probably started out in denial when it first happened. Each of them went through the five phases of divorce: first there’s denial, then anger, followed by bargaining, depression and acceptance. I think they just went out of order and skipped the anger part until they weren’t scared anymore. Then it’s all about revenge, and they have every right to do so. Take a couple of rifles off sleeping guards and let all hell break loose. Really, who’s going to blame them?”
* * * *
“All good?” asked Mike, sneaking right up behind the leader and giving him a jump.
“Yeah, just a couple of the women got some guns off the guards, but they weren’t trying to hurt us.”
“I know, and they will be free to go, right?”
“Yes, of course. Unless there’s more to the story.”
“There’s not, and your men dropped the ball,” pointed out Mike.
“I told you before, we’ve got security tonight.”
“No, you don’t,” replied Mike, “but you better get it in check soon or you will be sleeping every night with one eye open. I’ll be interested to see if they hit any in the dark. We will swing by in a few hours before we head out. Try to keep the noise at a respectable level,” he added, walking back towards his tent.
* * * *
“All good?” I asked Mike.
“Yep, just a little payback, long overdue. Let’s get some sleep.”
The dogs were back on their beds in front of our tent.
“Good dogs, staying close to camp,” I said, petting them each on the head.
I slept the rest of the night like one might expect after being awakened by gunfire.
Next World Series | Vol. 5 | Families First [Homecoming] Page 9
