by A J Newman
As they moved closer to the trailers, they noticed several had been forced open. Aaron opened the door to the first one and found crates of airplane engine parts. The next one contained hazmat suits, chemical, and biological contamination cleanup gear and signs stating, “Hazardous Material.”
“Dear, let’s open every other one that hasn’t been opened. Maybe the others gave up too soon.”
“Yes, it’s worth a try. Keep an eye out for intruders. I caught a flash of light from one of the houses as you were speaking. I think someone is watching us. If we find something we need, don’t react. Slam the door in disgust to mislead them.”
The third and fifth trailers had MREs and supplies for the mess hall. There was enough food to feed their people for months. The rest of the trailers had office supplies, maintenance parts, and uniforms.
“Aaron, how do we load these boxes without anyone noticing? Even the good guys will want a share of the food. They may claim squatter’s rights, and try to take all of our treasure.”
“Dear, I have a brilliant idea. Let’s check out the three semi-trucks by the maintenance building.”
“What, you are going to hitch up to one of them and drive out like you own the place.”
“Yes. I’ll drop you off at our truck, and we’ll drive until we can find another pickup and trailer so we can head on to Mobile.”
“Why not just drive the semi on down to Mobile?”
“It would attract attention, but maybe we can use that to our advantage. I have a weird, but excellent idea. Open the next trailer, search it and slam the door and we’ll leave here and go check out the semis.”
***
“Sam, a man and a woman, are over at the base searching the buildings and trailers.”
“There’s nothing there. Did they take anything?”
“No, they were pissed when they found the same crap we found when we opened three of the trailers. They left a few minutes ago.”
“If they come back, shoot the man and see if the woman is a keeper.”
“They looked like old farts. The woman is old but still attractive.”
“Okay, shoot both of them.”
***
The Clan
Near Pickwick Dam
We broke camp at dusk and headed over to the Pickwick Dam, which was over 125 miles by the twisting turning back roads. Even though the trip was uneventful, it still took over six hours to get to the dam and cross over to the south side.
We noted numerous temporary Army buildings, tents and broken down vehicles as we headed south towards the golf course. We also saw a small city of large tents surrounding an old US Post Office. We pulled off the road into the tent area and found they had just been abandoned.
The mess hall tent still had plates on the table with food that had not rotted. We found bags of oranges, potatoes, onions, and flour, which we piled into our trailers. There were cots, office equipment, clothes, blankets and tons of general, albeit, useless items that couldn’t be shot or eaten.
“The Army bugged out and didn’t take the time to pack. We better make like a keeper of sheep, and get the flock out of here before we find out what scared them so much.”
We hauled ass on down the road about a mile and saw the entrance to the golf course. This area, too, had been abandoned.
I started to question Aaron’s sanity when I saw tracks on the side of the road from a tracked vehicle like a tank. I followed the tracks until we were almost to Pickwick Lake. We stopped suddenly when I drove around a bend and saw a parking lot full of military vehicles.
***
Army Bivouac
Golf Course
Forrest Hogg begged the soldiers to take his children, and him with them when the orders for bugging out were given.
The Captain told the man that he was sorry, but they couldn’t take any civilians with them.
He did tell Forrest that they were leaving plenty of food, water, and several vehicles that Forrest could have. Forrest had three kids, two girls and a boy, that ranged in age from three to ten that he had to protect and feed.
Forrest’s wife had been killed during a home invasion a few months after the lights went out. He was away looking for food and antibiotics for his youngest child when the bastards attacked. His wife saw them in the street and hid the kids in a yard barn in the back yard. She made the mistake of leaving the yard barn to pick up a doll that the youngest girl had dropped. One of the gang members saw her and dragged her back into the house. The three men took turns with her. They killed her when she told them there was no drugs or alcohol in the house.
He came home that afternoon to find his dead wife covered with a blanket and his three children crying on the couch.
Forrest Hogg taught Biology and was the assistant football coach at Corinth High School before the lights went out.
He had begun prepping a couple of years before and felt the urge to do more, but his wife didn’t want any guns in the house. She also thought prepping scared the kids.
His plan had been to bug out to the north end of Pickwick Lake if TSHTF and things got rough in town.
He was angry with himself because he waited too late to bug out. His deepest guilt ate at him because he couldn’t kill the men who had done this to his wife.
He tried to keep his kids in their home, but a gang had recently arrived and had taken over the area. There was gunfire every day. The last straw was when one of his neighbors was killed because he wouldn’t give the gang his old truck. That’s when Forrest decided to move to a more secure and secluded location.
He made a two-wheeled cart from a bicycle and lumber he scavenged from Lowes. The cart was sturdy enough to haul their food, a tent and extra clothing.
He could also haul one of the smaller kids if he had to give them a rest along the way. It was only 18 miles to Counce, Ms. and another three miles to the lake. A railroad track ran between Corinth and Counce that avoided the populated areas. It was only a few hundred feet from his house, and they could take it to just south of Counce and then travel cross-country to the lake.
The trip was much rougher than he thought it would be. The kids needed to rest or pee every 30 minutes. The trip was only 21 miles but took four days.
The big surprise was the large military presence. They had a small hospital tent, took good care of the kids and gave them plenty to eat. Forrest thought their worries were over until the night he heard the orders for the Army to bug out. Forrest tried to go with them, but they told him not to follow the convoy. He picked through the massive amount of gear and supplies that were abandoned to find something to help his family survive.
Forrest loaded one of the military pickups with food, two tents, cots, blankets and anything else he thought they might need. Early the next morning he drove through the golf course to head to the marina in the inlet that he and his father had fished when he was a boy. He knew there were cottages and boats there and they would live in one of the abandoned cottages.
He drove to the marina, and as he turned right into the parking lot, the truck's lights shone on numerous military vehicles parked everywhere. There were tanks, trucks, Humvees, pickups and heavy duty semis and trailers. He had stumbled into an abandoned supply depot.
He drove up to the marina’s office and told the kids to stay in the truck.
“Son, keep the girls in the truck while I go in and make sure that no one is here. Honk the horn if anyone approaches.”
“Daddy, don’t leave us.”
“Son, I have to see if we can make this our home. Be brave.”
Chapter 15 - Christmas Presents
The Marina
I backed the truck up and signaled to the others to hide their vehicles in the brush on the side of the road.
“There is a pickup in front of the main building, and I see movement in the cab.”
It was almost daylight, and I pulled out my field glasses to see what was going on in the truck.
“Damn, it looks like a truckload of
small children. Scan the area for any people or movement, and then we’ll sneak in and see what’s going on here.
Davi, I see why your dad sent us here. There is a shit load of military equipment, and I’ll bet the buildings are full of supplies.”
There was no movement except the kids in the truck, so I sent Joan, Ally, and Roger to check out the kids, while Davi, Sam, and Ben went to check out the vehicles in the parking lot. Paul, Callie and I headed to the main office while Mike and the others guarded our vehicles.
Joan followed Ally and Roger into the woods so they could get closer to the pickup without being seen. They stopped before exiting the woods and saw three children playing in the parking lot beside the truck. They kept the end of the truck between them and the kids as they closed the 50 feet to the truck.
Joan handed her rifle to Roger, walked around the truck and said, “Hello I’m Joan. Is your mommy or daddy here?
The oldest boy tried to open the door of the truck, but Joan blocked his way.
“My dad told me to honk the horn if I saw any strangers.”
Ally said, “We’re not going to hurt you. We want to be your friends.”
The boy looked up at her and said, “I’ll bet all of the bad people say that before they kill you.”
Joan replied, “We’re both mommies and would never hurt little children. I have a girl, and Ally has a boy and a girl.”
“Can we play with them?”
“Yes, let’s find your daddy and mommy and then you can play.”
“Our daddy is in that boat building, some bad men killed our mommy.”
“I’m sorry. I know she is in heaven watching over y’all.”
We peered through several windows, but couldn’t see anyone in the main building. I sent Paul and Callie around to the back entrance while I entered through the front door.
I heard some noise coming from the right side of the building and slowly traveled that way. I heard a sound that I hadn’t heard in a while. My mouth started watering as I heard another “pop” and then a “fizz.”
I was almost to the end of the building when I heard, “My God that was good. Even hot beer beats no beer.”
I poked my head around the corner, saw a man about my age and build sitting on a table surrounded by beer cans and bags of potato chips. He had an ax on his lap, but no gun.
I started to speak when he said to himself, “Crap, I forgot the kids.”
He got up, turned and saw me with a rifle pointed at him.
“I’m sorry. I was hungry and saw the beer. I would never steal and thought this was abandoned.”
I replied, “Put the ax down and let’s talk. I don’t want to hurt you and won’t as long as you behave. What are you doing in this army depot?”
“When the Army bugged out, I came this way to find a cabin and live there until the lights come back on. I just stumbled on this massive cache of supplies. Mister, my kids are outside and probably getting scared. Can we go to them?”
“Of course. My wife and another woman are out there, and they are very good with children.”
We escorted him outside, and all three kids ran to him as soon as he came around the front of the pickup. He hugged them and apologized for being gone so long.
I said, “Roger, have the team pull down here, and we’ll camp here for the night.
I’ll bet you and the kids haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a long time. We’ll have dinner and get to know each other. I’m Zack Johnson.”
We introduced ourselves, and while we exchanged stories, Davi, Mike and Jacob inspected the vehicles while Roger, Paul, and Lynn searched through the building to see what supplies had been abandoned.
We slept in shifts, splitting our awake time on guard duty, or loading the trailers with supplies. Jacob and Sam hitched cargo trailers to two of the Humvees, and everyone helped load them with supplies, food, and ammo. Roger got a Humvee and hooked one of the fuel trailers to it.
Late in the day, I asked, “Forrest, did the Army say why they left in a hurry?”
“No, the captain just said that they were leaving and that I should take one of their vehicles, load it up with food and get out of here quickly.”
That worried me, and I said, “When did the captain say this?”
“Yesterday, about noon, as they were leaving. He was very concerned. Actually, he seemed almost scared.”
I thought, Oh shit, and yelled for the team to join us.
“Gather around. Forrest tells me that the Army bugged out yesterday and the captain warned him to get away from here quickly.”
Davi said, “Oh shit, and he waited to tell us that little tidbit of info until now? We have to gather supplies and bug out also.”
“I agree. We could be under attack at any moment. Load your vehicles up to the brim with food, water, and ammo. We are leaving here in one hour.”
I caught Forrest and said, “Y’all are welcome to come with us. We are heading away from this area and looking for a safe place to live away from all this turmoil.”
“I think we’ll just move on down to the bottom of the lake away from whatever is heading this way. I want to set up a home as quickly as possible for my kids.”
“Okay, but get out of here quickly.”
“I will leave with you and follow you for a while before I split off back to the lake. I’ll head south on 25 and take a back road over to the bottom of the lake.”
I said, “We’ll split off on Highway 365 and head southwest.
Oh, by the way, we have some extra guns, and I’d like to leave a pistol and rifle with you.”
“I’d like that.”
“Come on over to my truck.”
We walked over to my pickup, and I handed him a Springfield M&P15 and a Ruger 9mm plus seven magazines for each weapon plus a hundred rounds for each. I showed him how to operate the M&P15. He was familiar with the Ruger.
“Thanks for the home cooking and the guns. I never was a gun nut, but these days a gun can come in very handy.
I guess I need to go steal my kids away from Joan.”
“Yes, she likes little kids.”
“They like her a lot. Is she married?”
“No, she’s my ex-wife, and her boyfriend was killed a few months back. She loves kids. You need to get to know her. Kids need a mom.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I won’t see her again.”
He shook my hand and said, “I’ll fall in line behind your vehicles and keep going when you peel off. Good luck.”
“Good luck to you and your kids.”
He headed over to the far left end of the main building where Joan was playing with the children.
I heard footsteps behind me, and then Ally said, “He seems like a great guy. He and Joan would be a nice couple. She loves his kids.”
“I suggested that he stay and get to………….” I had said before I was cut off by gunfire from the direction Forrest had just gone.
“Grab your guns. We’re under attack.”
Several of us ran towards the gunfire while scanning ahead for intruders. There were two more shots, then silence. We got to the end of the building and saw the kids crying. Joan was holding Forrest’s head in her lap.
He was covered in blood from a wound on his head and another on his left arm. There were three dead strangers dressed in black BDU’s lying on the ground twenty yards away.
“Joan, what happened?”
“I was saying goodbye to the kids when we were attacked. One just missed me when Forrest started shooting. He killed the first one, and I shot the second as he jumped between the third asshole and me. Forrest killed him as he fell to the ground.
Callie, please take the kids while we tend to their father.”
“Thank God he was here, and I just gave him the guns and a quick lesson on how to use them.”
“You know he was one of those gun control people before the lights went out.”
“I think he just joined the NRA.”
The
head wound was just a graze that bled profusely and knocked him out. The arm wound was a through-and-through. Joan and Lynn bandaged the wounds and kept pressure on them while we loaded him into the bed of one of the pickups.
Joan then applied WoundSeal to control the bleeding. She got in to tend to him while we bugged out. We grabbed the attacker’s guns, ammo, ID papers, and hit the road at high speed. We got on Highway 25, headed down to our turn and kept moving as fast we could around the stalled cars.
We traveled the 40 miles to Highway 45 in a little less than two hours and kept heading south. The ride was getting monotonous as we weaved around the stalled cars and watched for ambushes.
‘Boredom with a chance of sheer terror,’ is the phrase we coined for driving along the highways of the USA. It was still daylight, and I felt very uncomfortable driving while everyone along the road was up and moving around. Thank God, there were fewer stalled cars out on the open road.
We stopped at 1:00 am for lunch and bathroom breaks. As usual, it was a cold meal of meat, crackers and canned fruit.
Joan opened the conversation by asking, “What do we do with Forrest? He wanted to stay by the lake, and here we are a hundred miles from there.”
Mike replied, “We can’t stop and wait for him to recover enough to take care of his kids, and we can’t just dump them on the side of the road.
Joan is taking good care of him and certainly is becoming attached to the children. I say we just have to deal with him when he gets better.”
The moon was bright as I looked around at the faces and said, “Look, if we hadn’t been there he would have had to deal with those men by himself. They could have killed him and left the kids to die. Joan, how is he doing?”
“He’ll have one hell of a headache when he wakes up, and he won’t be using his arm for a while, but all in all he’s doing okay. I’ll be worried if he doesn’t wake up by tomorrow afternoon. I agree on taking them with us.”
