Canyon Lands

by T J Reeder

  Speaking of whom, we sent out word by FAK to all the different canyons about the BBQ, we usually eat late in the evening just for the coolness of the evening and everybody showed up, all bringing something to the feed.

  And yes all this from my day dreaming comment about missing potato chips, which we had loads of! Now I remember why I missed them! We never lack for good food but this was by far the very best feed!

  Harvey said the pigs were doing great and were free ranging with several armed kids doing the protecting and herding them to different areas, they may have been born wild but with the free food they got in the beginning they weren’t as wild, the next generation would be even better, And they would eat damn near anything.

  Between the pigs and the cows the Brammers were working and with the goats that seemed to be everywhere we weren’t lacking for meat for sure. Maybe we could leave off the deer now, everybody likes deer meat but we all liked seeing them slipping down for water in the evenings and as time passes they get less and less afraid of us, also their Fawn crops seem to be growing with fewer predators around and those little guys were fun to watch as were the baby goats who are cute as can be except they grow up the be adult goats and the biggest pain in the ass there is.

  We have kids whose job is to keep them out of the living area and they are doing a real good job of it.

  Nothing pisses me off more then heading to the motor pool and seeing a fkn goat standing on the roof of the Dodge! Bastards! If they didn’t give us milk and cheese

  (kind of) and meat if we want it, I’d drive them all into the lake to feed the fishes. Well ok maybe not that, out of fear they would take over the lake.

  Several days later May said she wanted to go see her people at the Dam. I wanted to check up on the new leadership so we loaded the chopper including the guns, Willy wanted to go, Joe was busy herding cats or pigs or maybe chasing Mrs. Joe trying to keep her out of trouble what with being “with child” (I love that old fashion phrase) anyway, he stayed home.

  We didn’t call ahead, just appeared and landed in the town square so to speak.

  The town was bustling along; folks were waving and smiling so I figured things were better then before. Joe and Ralph wandered off while the girls and I went into the city hall building, first thing we hit was a guard who asked if we were armed, I laughed and said, “Be fools not to be eh?” He didn’t have a sense of humor and put his hand on his pistol butt and learned what a fast draw looked like times three!

  About that time the man who had been appointed Marshall came out of his office and said, “OH Shit!!” And yelled at his man to freeze. He trotted over to us and told the fool to remove his hand from the gun which he did really fast. It took me a moment to remember the man’s name, James, I asked if there had been some problems and he nodded at his office. He told the guard to lighten up before he got his ass killed.

  After we were all seated he said that yes there had been some trouble, nothing really bad but the town was still divided into two factions, friends of the former leaders and the supporters of the new crew, I believed that was to be expected.

  James said it was getting out of control because after investigating the disappearance of the people who had opposed the bosses it was determined that they had been killed and disposed of, most likely in the lake weighted down with chains, but no proof so instead of hanging them they banished them and their families and sent them packing with an escort for a good ways.

  He said there had been fights and even some gun play but nobody had been killed. I asked what he had done about it all, which was not much. I was beginning to wonder if he was the man for the job. And I asked him right out if he felt he was over his head, and to his credit he said “Yes and no.”

  He said the problem was folks here couldn’t seem to understand that times had changed and while they had power to run the town it was never gonna be like it had been.

  While I talked with him May went to see her people at the dam, Beth and Sandy stayed with me. Sandy asked if the people here understood that a Plague of unknown proportions was heading right at us and would arrive one day soon. James said he had tried to tell them that but wasn’t getting thru to the one faction and the others weren’t willing to bust their asses to support the ones who were sulking.

  Beth asked if there was somebody agitating the hold outs? James said he knew there was but what could he do?

  This shouldn’t be our problem but in a way it was so I asked James to sound the alarm to summon the folks for a meeting.

  It took the better part of an hour for all the stragglers to get there and I could see what James was up against, It dawned on me that James was the only member of the town council we had seen, I asked him about the Mayor and the rest and was shocked when he said they had quit due to threats! Well this shit wasn’t gonna wash so best handle it right up front.

  We went outside where the crowd was gathered, I looked them over and it was for sure two factions split in two, one bunch to the left and one to the right. I looked at the chopper and saw Willy and Ralph were on the guns, good men!

  I was at a loss what to do or say to these folks, after all I’m an outsider to them and to some I was a good guy and to the rest I was the asshole who caused their friends to lose power.

  Standing on the top steps of the small town hall looking out I saw a town divided in the worse way. And to a degree it was my fault.

  Finally I had to say something so I asked how many knew anything about the influenza outbreak of 1918? A few raised their hands, most just looked confused at the subject since they were ready for a fight of some kind. I started with. “In March of 1918 the so called Spanish flu epidemic started in what is now Fort Riley Kansas, when it was done 18 months later 650 thousand Americans were dead. Worldwide between 25 and 50 Million died, in 18 months.” I now had their attention.

  “At the time of the Black Plague the population of all of Europe was about 40 million people, in just 2 to 3 years 25 million of them died. Now the reason I’m bringing this up is that in the bigger cities in this country the very causes of the Black Plague have returned as has the Disease itself.”

  “Our country was hit with an EMP, it wiped out the better part of the greatest nation on earth. In a matter of hours people were killing each other over bottles of booze, then food and soon no young girl was safe, my people and I have rescued many women and girls from slavery. And now with the remains of our country teetering on the edge of the abyss, about to be swallowed by another horror that will kill most of the remaining people of this country as well as the rest of the world (and I paused) you ignorant, selfish, stupid, spoiled, worthless assholes are sniveling over who’s sorry assed crooked friends got run out of town? Are you people really this fucking stupid?!” They were shocked into silence! Hell I was too!

  “Really people? Really? With death heading right for you right fkn now do you want to tell your kids you let them die because you’re upset over the fact a friend of yours who may well have been responsible for murdering your neighbors and raping their young daughters were run out of town?”

  “They should have been hanged! And if it had been me here instead of a nice decent man like James here they would still be swinging from the trees!”

  “People, understand this, the only way you’re gonna live is to work together, stop this petty bullshit! The whatever it is that’s coming don’t care about any of you or your friends who were banished, it’s coming to kill you and your children and we can’t fight it with guns!”

  “You need to decide right now if your wives, husbands, kids will live or die, because there is no FEMA coming to pass out debit cards and buy you a trailer, this thing is gonna kill you unless you all start working together right now to defeat this enemy before it gets here.

  “The choice is yours. Me and mine will be working our asses off to seal off our area and to guard against infected people from entering. There is a great deal you need to be doing right now before it gets any closer. But
first you need to bury the hatchet, right now, right here. I’m going back into the town hall and you people need to settle your petty-assed issues right now because when we leave if you haven’t we will not be back.”

  We went inside where I dropped into a chair and felt like I was exhausted. I don’t like crowds nor do I like public speaking and I just wanted to go home and leave these petty people to their own fates. Sandy and Beth sat on each side of me. Beth said if that didn’t work then fk em!

  I laughed and said “Stop cussing! The baby can hear you!” Sandy laughed and said, “That’s about the only word you haven’t taught him!” James was looking at us like we had lost it. We didn’t explain it, who could?

  He asked what I thought was gonna happen. I said, “Well James since you are the only member of the city council I would think you would want to be out there helping your people come together,” he got a deer in the headlights look and took off.

  Sandy said, “Not the sharpest tack in the box is he?” Beth said, “No, but he stuck it out, he didn’t quit and run so he’s well ahead of the other shit heads who did.”

  My sweetest, kindest wife is talking like a Marine?? She laughed and said I was rubbing off on her, Sandy said, “Uh I think it was more then just rubbing,” and we all laughed.

  While the talking was going on outside May came in with a few of her people. She said they wanted to come home because they weren’t getting anywhere what with the infighting and backstabbing going on among the townies and also among the Dam folks who resented the newcomers.

  I asked if they thought there was a chance to overcome the issues. None did, they also said that if this town couldn’t pull together none might survive the possible plague that may or may not be coming. If it did somebody should survive that might be able to get things going again after the worst has come and gone.

  I couldn’t argue with that logic and told them to get their gear together and prepare to head out on the chopper right now, they took off, the girls were explaining to May what happened while she was gone, she just shook her head and said, “Fuck Em!” I said, “Stop cussing! The baby can hear you!” She smiled and flipped me off and mouthed, “Fuck you too!” They all laughed like it was funny to abuse the old man. Shame on them!

  I could hear loud voices from outside and decided this shit had gone on too long so I headed out the door to find James flat out on the ground and out cold, I pulled my pistol and fired five fast shots in the air and it got damn quiet damn quick.

  Looking at them I could see they were doomed, there wasn’t one face among the men that didn’t have hate smeared all over it. But I for sure had their attention.

  Beth headed down to where James lay and was attempting to help him to his feet when a big man stepped forward and slapped Beth across the face. And died. Very quickly. I think all three of us shot him.

  Sandy, maybe three times but he was dead before his hand was down from the slap.

  I think we were as shocked as the crowd, it was simply reflex on our part, attack one of us and doom was gonna fall on your head. The girls were helping Beth up, she said she was fine but she hit the ground hard and I was mad, very mad, deep down inside ice cold mad.

  The crowd had gotten so quiet I could hear them breathing, and they all looked scared to death, then I realized my 45 was still in my hand and was tracking the crowd as it followed my eyes.

  I holstered my weapon and immediately a man yelled out that we had murdered Frank, another man shouted that Frank hit a woman and deserved whatever happened, the two of them went to swinging and the whole crowd was about to blow when the gun in the door of the chopper opened up and fired a 50 round burst about a foot over their heads and then it was really quiet, of course most of them were on the ground afraid to move.

  James was able to stand up on his own and Beth looked ok but had a red hand print on her face, I was tempted to shoot the bastard again but refrained.

  When they all got to their feet and were still quiet I said, “Ok! We are done with you, here’s the new rules, you don’t come any more then half the distance between here and where we live. I will put a string of buoys across the area, come past there and you will die, you have half the lake to do as you wish. Stay on your side of the line.

  On the other hand we will cross as we want, screw with us and you die.

  Don’t come anywhere within fifty miles of us on land or you die.

  In other words we want nothing to do with you under any conditions.

  I hope, but doubt you will work out your differences. I don’t think you will survive even if the plague don’t come to this land. Those of you who wanted change, who wanted to build and have a better life, I suggest you leave here today. If you stay you will all die and this place isn’t worth it. There is a whole countryside out there where you can make a life but you’ll have to work for it.

  I asked James if he wanted to move his family to the upper end of the lake but he declined saying he was heading home and loading up and moving to his brothers place near Flagstaff, and with a hand shake and a word of thanks to Beth and the girls he left, still a bit shaky but moving on.

  May’s people showed up, followed by the entire bunch who had decided to head home too.

  I headed over to Ralph and asked how and what it would take to move everybody in the Chopper so we wouldn’t be stuck here waiting for trucks. He looked at the bunch and said, “Ok lets unload the guns and leave them here with Willy which will help keep these assholes off you, and I’ll haul all I can each trip until everybody is moved.” I gave him a thumbs up and Willy handed me a gun with a long belt attached while he grabbed the other one.

  We headed to the steps of the town hall where I told May’s people to head over and Ralph would load them up the way he wanted them.

  After they were all at the chopper it left me and the girls and Willy on the steps with two M-60’s plus the personal long guns we all carry when we leave the home place.

  I told the townsfolk to go home and stay there until we were gone and there had best not be one shot fired at us or I would flame the entire place.

  They left much quieter then they came, leaving the dead man laying. I told Sandy that either she or May could stay but one was going with Beth on the next chopper load. I won’t repeat their words, including Beth’s, suffice to say I don’t run nothing, I’m just a passenger on the ship of fools. But I love them just the same. Beth hugged me and said, “We are family John, where one goes we all go.” What could I say to that?

  We moved everybody inside the town hall building to await the choppers return which seemed to take forever but return it did with Joe and two more hard assed shooters. The rest of May’s folks loaded up and headed out with their belongings leaving seven of us on the ground.

  Sandy said she would be right back and trotted off thru the building and returned about five minutes later to say there was a parking lot in back that Ralph could land in and the building would give us cover while loading.

  I hugged her close and promised her a full body massage when we got home! I love this little giant, fast on the trigger? Yes, but just as fast at accessing the situation and looking for a way to make things work for us.

  I had not given a thought to the possibility of some of the townies firing at us as we pulled out. So much for the great leader shit.

  We waited until we heard the bird coming back and hit the back parking lot and waved for Ralph’s attention, he circled around like before but at the last minute dumped it right next to us, we were aboard and had the guns hooked in place in seconds and shot straight up like an elevator. Sandy was on one gun and Willy on the other, May slugged Willy but got the finger and a laugh in return, the ladies are very proprietary about “Their Chopper and Guns.”

  I was still trying to get the fkn belt hooked when we took fire from a roof top a block away! A miracle prevented anybody from getting hit but the shooters weren’t so lucky. Willy opened up and using the tracers as a guide swept the roof top like a f
iery broom taking down all three of the shooters, Ralph turned the bird and Sandy hosed them again.

  She was still pissed about Beth getting slapped, I was glad she hadn’t put a minigun on the bird, 5000 a minute is a bit over doing it.

  We headed home, sad but wiser, can’t help them as won’t help themselves.

  I also had no doubt we would be “tried” by some of those asshats, oh well, it’s a deep lake.

  I held Beth close on the way home with her leaning her head on my chest, I hurt for her, she’s the most gentle loving person in our community and to have that happen makes me feel there is no help for mankind.

  She raised her head and spoke in my ear “It’s not your fault John, and he paid a heavy price but also he will never do that again so maybe it was worth it, think?”

  No I didn’t think, but I know where she’s coming from.

  I also noticed both Sandy and May were a full second ahead of me in getting into action, either I’m slowing down a lot or they have been getting in range time while I nap. Sandy turned from the door and winked at me with a devilish smile, I looked at her and thought “Massage” and she gave a butt wiggle, I busted out laughing which nobody heard in the wind howling thru the doors.