by S A Ison
“What do ya thank?” Earl asked, a cigarette hanging off his lip as he spoke and it bounced, causing ash to fall.
“Not sure, they look rough. Looks like some of the men are carrying hunting rifles. I see one has an ax, another has a baseball bat.” Harry said and handed the binoculars to Clay, who brought them up and looked through.
“Not sure, those women don’t look like they’re under duress, they aren’t tied up or anything. I think the tall thin woman has a knife at her hip, here, take a look.” Clay said and handed the binos back.
Harry looked again, and saw that Clay was correct. They all looked dirty and he figured that was to be expected. Access to clean water wasn’t too difficult, but soap and clean clothing might be. Food would be upper most in their minds, not cleanliness.
“Should we at least give them something?” Katie asked softly.
Harry shook his head, “We can’t, this is just the first wave, the beginning. There’ll be more to come. If people know we have food to share, they’ll simply camp out and keep coming back. And then when we cut them off, they’ll just come and take it.”
“I hate to say he’s right Katie, I’ve seen it before, in the bigger city. People will try to get what they can, and when they can’t get it honestly, then they take without regard for those they take from.” Clay said.
“Dr. Katie, don’t you’uns fret, them thar men is capable of huntin. But you’uns see they ain’t done nothin, cause they ain’t got no pokes, no bottles. Nothin.” Earl said, looking through his binos.
Harry looked again, he realized Earl was right. These people carried nothing, no water bottles, no change of clothing, no backpacks. No one was dragging a cart or wagon. He wondered at that.
As though reading his mind, Boggy said, “Maybe they’s just take over a place til they ain’t no mo, then move on.”
“I think you hit the nail on the head Boggy. I think they are like locust, going from one house to the next, eating everything and then moving on. They don’t need to carry anything, they eat and destroy where ever they stop.” Harry said, his lips pressed down, knowing that this was going to be a fight.
He turned to Katie, “I want you to get into the tree line, about halfway down the yard. There is a big granite rock about ten feet into the trees, get behind that. Shoot anything that tries to come up past you, but stay down.” He watched her get up and leave the porch.
He turned to Boggy. “Go get up into the tree blind, pick them off, but stay covered, don’t get shot, and pick your target carefully, don’t waste a shot.”
Boggy took off, going down the hill and into the woods to the left. They had spent an afternoon putting up tree blinds, elevated spots where they could shoot from and protect the house. So far, they’d manage three blinds, though one was yet to be completed. It afforded them the ability to hide and shoot from the woods.
Earl walked off the porch and headed down the hill. Harry and Earl had dug a hole down near the middle of the hill, with Monroe’s help and had made a kind of fox hole. With heavy boards, they had removed Willene’s car door and had put it against the boards, and put the dirt in front of the door, so it looked like a dirt hill.
Earl could shoot from that position and stay relatively safe, between the heavy dirt, wood boards and metal of the car door. They had talked about more, spread out on the property. Now they would see how this position worked.
Clay stayed with Harry and both men waited quietly. They watched as the group got closer and they could see them talking excitedly among themselves and pointing up to the house. It took nearly ten minutes for the group to come to the barricade. A rough looking man, big and burly, though clearly thinner than he was normally, his clothes bagging on him. He seemed to be their leader or spokesman, because he came forward.
“Hey, ya’ll got any food an water ta spar?” He shouted.
Harry shouted back no and waited, he and Clay watching them talk amongst themselves. He didn’t want to engage them any more than he had to. He wanted them to know that they were not welcome.
“That ain’t very neighborly mister, we’uns is hungry.” The man shouted back.
“We aren’t your neighbor and you need to move along, now.” Harry said loudly, his voice devoid of emotion.
One man from the group began to move through the blockade and a shot rang out, the dirt exploding right in front of the man who’d stuck his head through the hedge. He jerked back, and the others in the group scattered, ducking down and hiding.
“Why didya fire at us, we’s juss gonna talk.” The man called, anger lacing his voice.
“I told you to leave. I have shooters with their weapons aimed at you. They see you step foot on this property, they’ll shoot to kill. You’ve been warned.” Harry called down to them and waited to see what they’d do. To show weakness to these people meant death.
Another shot rang out and a man screamed, he fell out of the woods about ten feet up onto Harry’s property. He’d been trying to come through the woods. Boggy had shot him. A smile creased Harry’s lip.
“You shot our man!” someone screamed.
“I warned you. If you don’t pull yourself off my property mister, I’ll kill you now.” Harry yelled down to the man who was stumbling up, holding his bloody arm. The man looked up the hill at Harry. Harry brought his Glock up and aimed it at the man on his property.
The man hastily staggered to the barricade and hands appeared and pulled him through. Clay and Harry stood silently on the porch, and then they saw the group leaving, passing farther up the road. Harry counted to make sure all ten were leaving. They were. He let his breath out and went to sit on the swing. He shook his head, and knew this was just the beginning.
“Can you tell Marilyn to bring the kids back up Clay, if you don’t mind, I think my legs won’t let me stand.” He laughed.
“I know what you mean, my legs feel like they got water in them. My adrenaline is pumping overtime. That was close, but I think we did well, we had a good plan, and everyone did their part.” Clay said and patted Harry on the back and disappeared into the house.
“Come on back everyone.” Harry called, though not too loudly. A few minutes later, Boggy came out, grinning. Then Katie came out of the woods, much of the color leached from her face, but she was walking firmly.
Marilyn and Willene came out on the porch, Willene holding Angela, who she then let down to play on the porch. Angela toddled over to her wooden blocks and stuffed animal and sat and played. Monroe went over and sat down beside the small child. Willene watched her for a moment and then sat down. She looked at Harry and grinned.
“Good shooting sis, I’m proud of you.” Harry grinned. She blushed but was happy. She took a deep drink of her cooling coffee.
“I sure hope they don’t come back.” Marilyn said.
“They shouldn’t, they’ve already seen shots from multiple positions, so they don’t know how many people we have. But they do know we are well armed. They’ll go for easier pickings.” Harry assured her.
“I just hope they don’t attack the dairy.” Willene worried.
“They are pretty well armed there, Earl and I stopped over to check on them. Their farm hands and their families have moved in and seems like they have it together.” Harry said.
“I think we did well, everyone was on top of it.” Clay said.
“I think that was just the first of many.” Katie said, her teeth nibbling on her bottom lip, worry in her dark eyes.
“I spect you’uns is right bout that. They’ll be like fleas on a hound dog soon.” Boggy said, wiping the sweat from his face. Harry thought he looked a little pale, but otherwise fine. It was a hard thing to shoot at another person. He suspected this was Boggy’s first and he suspected it would be even harder when the young man had to actually kill someone.
“Let’s go for a walk gentleman, Willy, if you need me, send Katie to get us. We’ll be back fast.” Harry said and got up, his legs a bit stronger.
“No worries
brother, I got this covered.” She smiled. Harry laughed when he saw Earl’s face flushed with excitement, apparently Earl did like surprises.
Harry led the way up the back of the property, past the garden, chicken lot, corn cribs and into the woods. All the men were quiet, Harry thought they were more than likely wondering what was going on. He took them the most direct route to the cave, ten minutes later he came to the large cluster of boulders and rocks. Everyone was looking around the area, then back to Harry with questioning looks. Harry grinned and reached over and pulled the bushes aside, revealing a narrow fissure opening.
Earl grinned widely and said, “What in tarnation?”
Harry turned on his flashlight and led the group of men in, they were silent behind him. He could see behind him, that someone had turned on their flashlight. And he heard Earl giggle, like a kid who’d just discovered that there was a Santa Claus. He smiled, and led the way down the steps into the main chamber of the cave. He walked over to a lantern and pulled out his lighter and lit it.
Clay whistled long and low, his head turning this way and that, shining his flashlight around the large room.
“Now this is the coolest mancave I’ve ever seen!” He laughed and smacked Harry on the back. Harry grinned at him.
“This is the dangdest an the greatest thing that I ever did see.” Earl cried in an excited voice, his eyes wide and the biggest smile that Harry had ever seen. Boggy looked around stunned, his large eyes taking in everything, but he was silent, his mouth shaped in a silent “O”.
“My family has had this cave for many generations. Me and Willy played here as kids and did our own decorating. Recently, my grandfather made some modifications and he has also saved our lives. Follow me.” Harry said, and he led the way.
He lit another lantern and gave it to Clay, and Harry carried one as well. They stopped at Harry’s room and Earl giggled again. His eyes crinkling into deep triangles of humor and hilarity.
Clay sniggered and picked up the action figure and looked at Harry. Harry grinned and shrugged.
“This is wild, man, I wish I’d had some place like this when I was a kid.” Clay laughed and picked up a comic book and flipped through it.
“Jeezum, this is great!” Earl crowed softly, his eyes wide with wonder.
Boggy followed behind with a huge smile on his lips, his eyes caressing each item. For Harry, it was like seeing the cave anew. Through their eyes, and he had to admit, it was pretty damned awesome.
With each room, they stopped and everyone had a look around. They didn’t touch Harry’s mother’s things and were reverent and quiet, even Earl had calmed down.
“This is amazing Harry, I really mean it. I know it is a cave, but it really doesn’t feel like it. It isn’t cold or dank or anything.” Clay said, his voice filled with awe.
“This is amazin.” Boggy said simply.
“I’s could live her an be happy I’s spect.” Earl said, sighing with a kind of bliss.
Harry laughed, “We loved it as children, but we’d been warned to keep it a secret all our lives. It has been a place of refuge and safety in the past. If something happens and we have to bug out from the farmhouse, we have this place to come to. All I ask is that you never tell a soul. Only us, our family.” Harry said softly.
The men stood in a small circle and looked at each other smiling and nodded to Harry. “We promise Harry, for our family only.” Clay said.
Harry took them to the vast storage cavern and he heard Earl choke and snigger at the same time and he looked back at him. Tears were coming down his face and he was shaking his head.
“You’uns Peapot did this Harry?” Earl asked, wiping the tears away. Harry knew how Earl felt, with all the supplies here, they could live and survive.
“Yeah, I didn’t even know it. I don’t know how long he’d been working at it. Remember, I told you he said that he knew the coronal event was coming. When I first saw it, it nearly knocked the breath out of me.” He explained, going farther into the room.
“I’s spect your granpa loved you’uns a lot, you n your sister.” Boggy said softly, his eyes looking around at all the neatly stacked boxes.
“He did Boggy, he sure did. I also think he knew that I’d be having friends come to stay as well.” He smiled at Earl and Clay, who grinned back at him.
Boggy walked over to Harry and hugged him, and Harry heard Boggy sniffle. Boggy pulled back, tears in his eyes.
“I ain’t had no one ta care bout me but my granny, but now I’d knowd you’uns all care bout me. I’s humbled bout it, and I thank ye.” Boggy said, swallowing hard. Harry felt the sting of tears in his own eyes and reached out and hugged Boggy to him, patting the young man on the back.
“We’re all we have in this world Boggy, and I figure God got us all together for a reason, my Peapot just made it so we could live a little easier, and have enough.”
They walked through the rest of the cave and Earl liked the kitchen and bent over and took a drink from the natural sink. He looked up and grinned happily.
“That thar is some good water. Cold and fresh.” He said grinning foolishly as he wiped the moister from his mouth.
“Well, if something bad happens, that we can’t live up at the farm house, I expect we’ll do just fine here Harry.” Clay said.
They all left the cave and began walking back to the house, taking a different route. Harry explained, “Me and Willy are careful coming up here, in case anyone is around, and especially now. We come and go in different directions. Because of so many rock formations on the property, I’m hoping it will confuse anyone who is following.”
“Good idea.” Clay said, he was carrying a box of supplies, some coffee and sugar. Earl was carrying a twenty-pound bag of beans, and Boggy had two large boxes of powdered milk. Harry carried a large sack of flour. Willene had sent him with a list of needs. Harry figured they could all carry something back.
No one spoke on the way back to the farm house, everyone listening intently. They saw Brian and Charley playing in the back of the house with Monroe and Marilyn was in the garden with a basket gathering ripened vegetables. Much had been canned already, and this was for their dinner later that evening.
Harry drew in a deep breath, he felt peaceful knowing he had his friends and family around him. With a little luck and planning, they could survive this, if they could keep the hordes at bay. He knew in the coming weeks and months, it would become harder. More people would die at their hands. It was the them or us mentality. If Harry could feed them all he would. But that was an impossibility. The sad fact was, many were going to starve to death.
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Alan drove slowly, ahead of him was a truck, loaded with something beneath a tarp. He recognized the truck, it had a large confederate flag painted on the tailgate. It was Mr. Andy Anderson, and Alan knew the old man was part of the KKK. He wondered what the old man had in the back of the truck. He kept his distance, he didn’t see anyone else in the truck but he didn’t want the old tyrant to identify him. Andy was a mean old man, always had been. His grandfather had warned Alan away from the old geezer.
Alan never knew why the old man was so hateful. He’d not liked blacks at all and would spit on the ground when he passed one. There were altercations and yelling matches. Most folks knew to steer clear.
He saw that the truck’s break lights kept flashing. Alan wondered if the old man was riding his breaks. They were heading down a slope, but it wasn’t steep. He slowed his own truck down and looked around him. There were no other homes or building near. They were on a deserted stretch of road. He wondered if the man was trying to trick him. It wasn’t difficult to see him from behind.
Then he watched as the truck sped up and careened sideways and hit a tree, the hood of the truck popping up. Alan slowed down, waited and watched to see what the old man would do. Nothing happened. The old man didn’t get out of his truck. Slowly, Alan pulled his truck near. His eyes going to his mirrors and looking around. He didn’t thi
nk it was a trap. He didn’t see anyone or any other vehicles.
He pulled abreast to the cab of the truck and saw that Andy was slumped over, he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. He put his own truck in park and exited, leaving his truck running. He went to the window and looked in. Andy’s eyes were wide open and his mouth was as well, as though he were silently screaming.
Reaching an arm through the open window, he poked at the old man hard.
“Mr. Anderson? Mr. Anderson, is you okay?”
Nothing, no movement nor could Alan see any chest movements coming from the man. He shoved harder at the old man, but Anderson didn’t blink, didn’t move. Around him the road was silent, he heard blue jays crying in the trees and the cicada’s soft murmurs.
Must have had a heart attack, Alan thought. He walked to the back of the truck and untied the tarp. Stacked in the back of the truck bed were boxes and boxes of food. Alan’s legs nearly gave out, there was a hell of a lot of food. He wondered if Mr. Anderson was taking it to the KKK. He also wondered if the man had stolen it from hungry people, and his brows furrowed down.
A slow smile spread over Alan’s homely face. He began to unload the boxes of food and transfer them to his own truck. As he carried each box, his head turned this way and that. His heart was racing since he knew someone might come by and he sure didn’t want to get caught taking the food. He kept a look out and it only took about ten minutes to transfer all the boxes. Next, he untied the rest of the tarp and spread it over his own truck, covering his prize. He walked back to the cab and looked in. He saw a shotgun, but he left it. Someone would eventually find Mr. Anderson, and he didn’t want anyone looking for a gun thief.
He wondered briefly if this man had been responsible for the murder of his friend. Rage roiled up within him. He placed his large bony hands on the open window of the driver’s side door. There were no answers from this man and Alan was glad the old goat was dead. One less target as Harry would say.
