The Peacekeepers. Books 1 - 3.

by Ricky Sides

  “I understand,” the little boy intoned solemnly. Jim immediately thought that of course the boy didn’t understand. How could he? Evan’s next words caused him to change his mind when the boy said, “It’s like I feel when I think about my dad.”

  Jim hugged the little boy then and said, “I see that you do understand.” Looking over the boy’s shoulder, Jim saw Lacey wiping her eyes. She noticed his gaze and smiled weakly.

  ***

  The next day, Jim took Evan and Lacey for a ride in the Peterbuilt. It was time to teach them how to secure food and water. Until now, they’d all shared the provisions that Jim had in the truck. There was still no shortage of food in his truck, but he’d promised to teach them how to fend for themselves, and this was a critical part in that training.

  For a week, Evan had tried to persuade Jim to take him for a ride in the truck but they’d been too busy with more important matters. When Jim announced that this morning he was taking them shopping for food, the boy had bolted out of the house and climbed into the truck. Jim nodded approvingly when he noted that the boy now avoided being swept off the truck step when he opened the door. When Jim and Lacey got to the truck, they found Evan sitting in the sleeper waiting for them.

  As they drove slowly through town, Jim noted in some alarm that the people seemed to be moving out. Houses that he recalled as being occupied five days ago now seemed abandoned. Some of the homes were boarded up as if to weather a hurricane. Others had signs on the doors indicating where the owners had gone. One such sign said simply, “Gone to my father’s place.” Obviously, the owner had left that sign for people who knew him or her intimately.

  Lacey asked quietly, “Where are they all going?”

  “Some will be going to check on relatives. Some will be seeking a better place. I’m afraid they’ll soon learn they had it pretty good here compared to most towns these days. At least they have electricity and water here. Others will just be curious about what is left and want to travel to see for themselves.”

  He spoke of Lina then, for the first time. As they drove westward to the next small town he described in detail his encounter with that wild spirited lady who was determined to see as much of America as she could. He detailed the training he’d helped her with, and smiled as he told them about her spunky nature. He referenced the way she’d taunted the Marauders who were attempting to capture her.

  “She sounds like a wonderful woman. I’d like to meet her someday,” Lacey said with a smile, but she was looking at Jim as if she wanted to ask him a question.

  Jim noted the look in her eyes and grinned. “We were friends. She could have been the student of my dreams. She had the raw potential. She embodied all of the top qualities of my two best female students without their negative qualities. To me, it was an instructor-student relationship. As for her, she made it plain that she wasn’t looking to be tied down to anyone. She wouldn’t even tell me her last name.

  “Lina. That’s a good solid name,” Lacey said looking somewhat happier now.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Jim thought as the wind from her open window played through her blond shoulder length hair.

  Two hours later, Jim parked the truck outside a grocery store in the second abandoned city they had driven to that day. The first had been emptied but this one looked promising. He turned around to face Evan and said, “Stay with us. Don’t wander off alone,” he said this with a very serious expression on his face.

  Evan nodded his head and said, “You don’t have to worry about that. I learned my lesson the last time.”

  Jim laughed and said, “That old dog did get kind of close to you before I shot it.”

  Lacey didn’t see the humor in the situation and she said, “That’s not funny, Jim.”

  “You’re right of course. I’m sorry,” Jim said soberly.

  Lacey turned to her son behind her and said, “That animal could have hurt you if Jim hadn’t killed it before it reached you. This time I expect you to stay right with me. Is that understood?”

  “Yes Ma’am,” Evan replied.

  Jim got out of the truck and carefully examined the area looking for signs of the recent presence of humans or animals. When he deemed it safe, he signaled Lacey and her son who climbed down from the truck. Before he took them into the store, he discussed the things that they should look for to indicate that the store was indeed abandoned. He also taught them what to look for in the way of ambushes and traps. Only then did he permit them to enter the store.

  As they walked toward the store Jim pointed out it had already been looted. He pointed out the broken windows that were usually a sure sign that others had previously visited the store to get supplies. “Do you think they took all of the food?” asked Evan.

  “Most of the time, there’ll be something left,” replied Jim. Then he smiled and said, “You see, when people come in and loot a store they usually haul away stuff like candy, cigarettes, coke, chewing gum, and things like that. Most of the time they are so loaded down with that stuff that they can’t take much food with them.”

  Jim stopped talking as they entered the store. He pulled his pistol and motioned for Lacey to do the same. He motioned for her to take the lead and watched as she went about searching the store to make certain that they were truly alone. He grinned in satisfaction as she looked at the round polished metal mirrors hanging at the beginning of the isles. She had remembered to use such mirrors to check for concealed men as he’d shown her in the last store. She was coming along well. She was holding her pistol in the correct body posture, gave corners a wide berth so that an attacker couldn’t simply reach out and grab her pistol, and was even walking much quieter.

  Jim was also noting Evan’s behavior. He stayed near his mother, but did not crowd her. He remained quiet and said nothing to alert a potential enemy, or distract his mother at a critical moment. Jim nodded slowly in approval. They had both remembered their lessons well to this point.

  After making certain there was no one inside the store waiting to ambush the unwary, Jim went back and got three shopping carts. “All right, Evan, it’s safe enough inside for you to help. You get the rice and spaghetti.” Evan nodded and went down that isle.

  “Lacey, you get the canned meats. Get canned hams, beef and gravy, or any other meat and or poultry products. I’ll get the canned fruits and vegetables.”

  Lacey nodded and went in search of her targeted supplies. A few hours later, the three of them had emptied the store of almost everything of value that had been left. Jim had even picked up quite a supply of household cleaning products and toilet paper.

  Jim laughed when Evan came running to him saying that he couldn’t move the shopping cart he’d been loading. When Jim saw the cart sitting in the isle where the boy had left it, he understood why Evan had been unable to move it. The cart was loaded to overflowing. The boy had even thrown in spaghetti sauce and macaroni and cheese.

  On the way home, Jim stopped at an abandoned home that had all of the windows smashed out. Apparently, someone had looted the home. He turned to Lacey and said, “All right, it’s time to teach you how to acquire water that will require little, if any, purification.”

  “But we have running water,” Lacey pointed out.

  Nodding his head, Jim said, “You do right now. However, that could change if there are water problems in your community. In addition, you could be forced to relocate for any number of reasons. Therefore, it is critical that you understand how to acquire water if you are to be truly self sufficient.”

  Jim went inside the house and did a quick search to confirm that it was indeed empty. They hadn’t seen anyone in the town, so he decided it was safe to leave the truck unguarded.

  He grabbed a sack full of plastic soft drink bottles with screw on caps in various sizes and led his companions inside the house. They went to the kitchen and he pointed to the sink. “Always try the easiest. You never know, you just might get lucky.”

  Lacey tried the sink and said, �
�No luck today.”

  “All right, let’s find the water heater,” he said. In this case, that was easy. It was sitting in the corner of the kitchen. He pointed to the drain valve on the bottom of the tank and said, “Lacey, find a bowl that’ll fit under the valve. Also, see if you can find a ladle to dip water from the bowl and fill your bottles.”

  She searched the cabinets and found a plastic rectangular bowl that would fit under the valve, which was situated low on the tank. She searched the drawers and located a soup ladle.

  Nodding his approval he said, “Evan, you take the bottles from the sack. Get the larger bottles first. When your mother is ready for them, it will be your job to hand her an empty bottle. Once she’s ready for another, you hand her an empty and cap the one she just filled. Set the full ones out of her way.”

  Evan nodded his understanding.

  “Lacey, the valve may be hard to turn but try. If it opens, then open it so that the water slowly fills the bowl,” Jim instructed.

  She tried to turn the valve but no matter how hard she strained at it, she couldn’t turn it. “Stop,” Jim said. “Ok. It’s stuck fast.” Jim removed a pair of channel lock pliers from his back pocket. He showed her how to place the jaws of the pliers around the handle that operated the valve, and then he handed her the pliers. “You have to hold it level with the handle as you turn it. Adjust the jaws until they fit snugly with the handles close together. This will give you the leverage you need to open the valve.”

  It took her two tries, but Lacey opened the valve. She quickly turned the valve back in the other direction so that the water stream slowed. Laying the pliers beside her, she took the ladle and began to fill the bottles. Soon, Lacey and Evan had a smooth system going. They bottled about ten gallons of water then Jim had her shut off the valve. “That’s enough. You get the idea now. This one was easy because it was in the kitchen where you also acquired the bowl and the ladle. As a rule, take such items in with you. Now this is very important. Always, and I do mean always, stay together when you are scrounging like this. Something as seemingly innocent as letting Evan go to another room to get a bowl, could lead to his being captured by others. Also, before you leave, check outside to see if anyone is waiting for you. Another important matter is that you should do this during the day if possible. Lights in a house are a dead giveaway to Marauders. One last point. Lacey, you carry only what you can carry and still use your pistol. You may want to carry more of the burden to help Evan, but don’t burden yourself to the point that you can’t protect him.” Looking at the two he said, “Do you both understand all of this?”

  “Yes,” they replied in unison.

  As they drove toward her house, Lacey asked, “Where am I going to store all of this food?”

  “You have an attic and a small basement don’t you?”

  “Yes I do. I suppose I could put all of the food in there couldn’t I?”

  “No not all of it. You should store about half in another location just in case something happens to your primary living site. Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to set up a retreat to which you can relocate if you lose your home to fire, natural disasters, or even the worst case scenario, Marauders.”

  After they got home, Jim refused to permit them to begin unloading the truck until it got dark. He explained, “If the people in town find out you are stockpiling food, they’ll take it from you when they run low.”

  ***

  The next day Jim took Lacey and Evan to an old abandoned farm he’d located just a few minutes from town. He had already checked out the place and knew that it was ideal for a retreat.

  The little farmhouse was a single story wooden frame home. It was situated well off the main road, and accessed by a small brown gravel drive. There was a small copse of woods between the house and the main road, which effectively screened it from the view of vehicular traffic. The house was on the city electrical grid and had running water.

  They unloaded the rest of the supplies immediately. Some they stored in the old-fashioned fruit cellar. Some they stored in the attic. They even stored about a weeks supply in the kitchen cabinets in the traditional manner. He cautioned Lacey to pull more food from her storage areas as needed but never to put it all in one place.

  While they were there, Jim discussed scenarios that might force them to come to the retreat. Chief among those scenarios was the complete breakdown of civil order. “When the lawless element takes control of your community, wait until night, if possible, and then slip away and come here. While you are waiting for the right time to leave, keep your lights off. Remain quiet. Do nothing to attract attention to yourselves. And don’t wait a few days hoping they’ll just leave. Get out of town the first night before they have time to learn much about the community. When you leave, wait until around 2:00 A.M. if possible. Most Marauders will be sleeping, concentrating on liquor, drugs, or women at that time. Even if they are military personnel gone bad, most of the men would be sleeping at that time.”

  They discussed other scenarios including a home invasion scenario. He had Lacey and Evan establish a meeting place in town near their home. If they became separated they were to meet there and then come to their retreat.

  “It sounds as if you’ve thought of everything, Jim,” Lacey observed.

  “I doubt it. There will always be the unexpected. But by remembering the lessons, you should be able to make an intelligent decision, based upon lessons learned from those examples.” Pausing he frowned and then he said, “There is one other thing I want you two to remember. If someone comes to town, and the town embraces that individual or group, trust your own instincts. If you feel the town is wrong and the strangers are a threat, then leave town quietly.”

  “I understand,” Lacey said automatically.

  “Are you sure?” Jim asked. “You do realize that I meant for you to keep your reservations to yourself, and don’t reveal your misgivings. Doing so would draw attention to you and Evan. So if you are present when the town greets them, smile and welcome them. Then wait for dark and get out of town.”

  “Don’t even try to warn the townsfolk?” she asked.

  “That would guarantee the attention of the bad people would be focused on you and Evan. So no, don’t try to warn them. Save yourselves. Save your son” he added pointedly.

  Lacey got the point. Evan must come first in her mind and heart. She couldn’t risk his safety to convince others that the strangers were a threat.

  ***

  For two weeks, they took the Peterbuilt on excursions to locate more supplies. Gradually, they had stockpiled enough food and other necessities to last Lacey and Evan at least a year. Jim even found some plastic fifty-five gallon drums with removable lids. The lids were fitted with rubber seals. He showed Lacey and Evan how to make a food safe. He dug a hole and placed the drum into the ground. They filled it with food and sealed the lid. He covered the food safe with a foot of dirt, and scattered the rest of the soil on the fields near the farm. They made three such food safes in three separate locations well away from both of their main storage areas. He cautioned the mother and son to mark well in their minds the location of those food safes.

  On the last night of the supply work, Lacey came to Jim in his truck after Evan had gone to sleep. Jim was still awake. He was sitting in his truck thinking about how he was going to say goodbye to Evan and Lacey. He knew he’d taught them all he could under the present circumstances and that it was time to leave. He admitted to himself that he had fallen in love with Lacey. When they parted each night, he thought about her for hours. He also loved Evan, and the thought of having to say goodbye to them was very unpleasant to him. Truth be told, he hated the thought of wondering what they might be doing in two or three days when he was once more on the road and out of their lives.

  These thoughts were drifting through his mind when Lacey lightly tapped on the door and took him by surprise. He spun around raising his pistol as he did so, but stopped when he saw who was standing outside his truc
k. He opened the door and said, “You startled me. Is something wrong?” This was the first time that Lacey had ever come to him in this manner, and he was sure that something must be wrong.

  “I wanted to talk to you, if you don’t mind,” replied Lacey.

  “Do you want me to come into the house?” he asked.

  “Your truck will do fine,” she answered and walked around to the passenger door and climbed in beside him. She sighed deeply causing Jim to stare at her. He knew her well enough by now to know that when she sighed in that manner, she had something very important to her that she wanted to discuss, but was reluctant to do so.

  “I wanted to talk to you about the first day we met.” Jim waited in silence and she said, “I offered you my body as payment for your help. That offended you. I said I was sorry, and you stayed with us to teach us how to survive.”

  “You’ve come a long way in the past month,” Jim observed with a warm smile.

  “We had an excellent instructor,” Lacey responded.

  Shaking his head Jim said, “No matter how good the instructor is, he has to have something to work with if he is to succeed.”

  Lacey frowned and said, “To tell you the truth, I didn’t come out here to discuss survival training with you.”

  “Okay, Lacey. What’s on your mind?”

  “After you told us the story about the way you used to teach women martial arts, I got to thinking and came to the realization that I’d hurt you much worse than I’d imagined with my proposition. A man who would do the things you’ve done to help women would be greatly offended by such a proposal.” Jim started to say that it was all right, and that he understood her situation, but she gently placed the fingers of her right hand over his lips and said, “Let me finish please. This is important to me.”

  She removed her fingers from his lips. She was looking down, so she didn’t notice when he placed the fingers of his right hand where her fingers had been moments before. When she did look up it was too late to see the passionate emotion that had briefly flitted across Jim’s face. He almost instantly replaced that expression with one of keen interest, but nothing more.