by Victor Zugg
“Most don’t have running vehicles, so they’ll be walking,” Chet said.
“For now, just the walk will deter most people,” Tiff said. “But that will change soon.”
Sam nodded. “You don’t want to leave your truck unattended, follow us. We’ll see what Hank has to say.”
Sam motioned for two guys to help move the cars blocking the slot back so Juan could drive through. Then they pushed the two cars back in place.
“Nobody gets through the barricade,” Sam said to the two guys that helped push the cars. “We’ll send more people, food, and water as soon as possible.”
Sam, Chet, and Tiff hopped in the Hummer and led Juan to the police department.
***
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Hank said, as he sat back in the desk chair and looked over at Bill, Sam, Chet, Tiff, Juan, Pete, and Diego, all sitting in the chief’s office.
Bill nodded. “No brainer. We’ve worked with Juan; he and his family members bring their own food, equipment, and truck. We can use good, dependable people.”
Hank turned to Pete. “Pete, any military experience?”
“No military, but I did attend the police academy and joined the force the same time my brother joined,” Pete said. “He stuck with it; I didn’t.”
“Police experience is good,” Bill said. “Would you be willing to serve with our militia?”
“Whatever you need,” Pete said.
“I’d like to serve on the militia, too,” Juan said.
Hank looked at Bill and Sam. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. We need people a little older, preferably with police or military experience.”
Juan dropped his chin.
“We need people for the soup kitchen,” Hank said.
Juan looked up. “That’s fine. Diego and I are willing to do what’s needed.”
Hank stood up. “Okay then, we just need to find you guys a place to stay and get you started with duties.”
“What about our truck?” Juan asked.
“As far as I’m concerned, your truck is your truck,” Hank said. “I’m sure we will need the services of an extra truck, but when we do, we’ll ask you guys.”
Juan and Pete nodded.
Everyone stood up and shook hands.
Sam turned to Hank. “The barricade is up. It should probably be manned as soon as possible. I told the guys down there that someone would be back with more people, some food, and water. You may also want to stage some extra ammo down there.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Bill said. He then turned and headed for the door.
“What about the rules of engagement?” Tiff asked.
Bill stopped and stepped back into the room.
Hank picked up a sheet of paper from his desk. “This is what Lance and Wanda came up with.”
Tiff took the paper and perused the writing. “Maintain a maximum force at the barricade at all times. No one gets through unless approved by Hank or Bill. Fire on people only if fired upon.” Tiff raised her chin and cocked her head to one side.
“To keep from being overrun, the militia may need to fire on unarmed people,” Chet said.
Tiff nodded her head up and down.
Hank sat back down in his chair and rubbed his temples. “Shoot unarmed people?”
“If they don’t obey the militia’s commands,” Sam said. “Maybe a couple of warning shots, but if that doesn’t stop them the militia will need to fire for effect.”
“The whole point is to stop people, all people, armed or not, from coming through and overrunning the town,” Tiff said.
Hank rubbed his chin and then nodded. He looked at Bill.
Bill pursed his lips, raised his eyebrows, and nodded.
Hank picked up a pen and lined through the sheet of paper. He scribbled some words and then looked up. “Okay, order people to turn around and leave the area, fire warning shots if they don’t obey, fire for effect if they try to overrun the barricade.”
Sam nodded. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that.” He rubbed his entire face with one hand and massaged the back of his neck with the other. He knew it would come to that. Everyone would be tested in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. Tested beyond what any human being should ever be asked to do. Many wouldn’t be willing to do what’s necessary to survive. That’s why the loss projections were in the ninety percent range for a major catastrophe like the one they were facing. Sam also knew that the barricade of cars and a few members of the militia would not be able to hold back a crowd of any size, at least not for long. The militia might be able to repel invaders, small groups, once or twice, but then the smart ones would find a way to circle around the barricade through the forest and attack the town’s flanks and rear.
Everyone started moving toward the door when Sam stopped and turned back to Hank.
“In addition to the barricade, you may want to establish a rapid response team that can move quickly wherever needed,” Sam said. “They’ll need a vehicle. Probably six or so men.”
Hank glanced at Bill and then back to Sam. “What are you thinking?”
Everyone moved back into the room and took their respective seats.
“In case the barricade is about to be breached, or invaders are able to flank the barricade,” Sam said.
“How would we call up the response team?” Bill asked. “We have no communications.”
“House them at the lodge,” Chet said. “They would be close enough to the barricade to know what’s happening.”
“If they’re needed in another part of town, you’ll have to send a runner,” Tiff said.
Hank leaned back in his chair. “We’re going to need more people in the militia.”
“I met a guy here a few days ago, a Toby Thomas,” Sam said. “He seemed very capable. What’s his story?”
Bill cleared his throat. “Chief Daniels was his uncle,” Bill said.
“Yeah, he told me that,” Sam said. “I have not seen him around, is he still in town?”
“He never was in town,” Bill said. “Lives close by in the mountains. Rumor is, he and some friends grow, process, and sell pot. They transport the stuff to the cities north of here. Supposedly, Chief Daniels knew about it.”
“Pot will be in high demand,” Tiff said. “He probably has his hands full protecting his crop.”
“He had an old flatbed truck,” Bill said. “It probably still runs.”
“So he’s still operating,” Sam said.
“Probably,” Bill said.
“Any idea where?”
“I heard he cut a trail off of Rudd Hollow Road, north, somewhere between the road and the parkway.”
“Why the interest in this Toby Thomas?” Hank asked.
“Like I said, capable, and now, presumably, he has men that are armed, willing to shoot and familiar with the area,” Sam said. “A few extra experienced shooters might come in handy.”
Hank raised an eyebrow and stood. “I suppose.”
“If you don’t mind, how about if I take a run up that way tomorrow,” Sam said.
“No problem here,” Hank said. “But I’d be careful. You don’t know what you might run into.”
Sam nodded. “Understood.”
“I heard that Toby and his crew are all former special forces of some sort,” Bill said.
“Good to know,” Sam said.
“If that’s it,” Hank said, “I think we can all head out.”
“I’ll stop by in the morning,” Sam said, as he walked out.
Hank nodded.
CHAPTER 11
Sam stepped out of the building’s front doors and walked toward the Hummer, followed closely by Chet and Tiff. Sam stared at the ground, deep in thought, contemplating what he would say to Toby Thomas when they met, if they met. There was an excellent chance Sam would never be able to find him. Sam felt a tap on his shoulder. He glanced back and saw Chet pointing.
“We have a runner coming in,” Chet Said.
&nbs
p; Sam looked back around and saw a tall, slender, man in his twenties galloping toward the police department from the main road. A rifle hung heavy in his right hand. “That’s one of the guys from the barricade, Andy, I think.”
Andy, huffing, stopped in front of Sam, bent over, and put his left hand on his knee as he tried to catch his breath. Sweat soaked his T-shirt to the skin; his face was a shiny pale white.
“What’s happening?” Sam asked.
Andy stood up straight, held up his index finger, and took deep breaths. He coughed with every exhale.
“Let’s get him out of the sun,” Chet said, as he grabbed Andy’s arm and guided him to a bench under the portico.
Andy took a seat and continued taking deep breaths.
“You need to cut back on the cigarettes,” Tiff said. “You’re way too young for this.”
Andy nodded his head up and down and then inhaled and exhaled deeply. “People at the barricade,” he sputtered.
“How many?” Sam asked.
Andy inhaled and exhaled again before answering. “Twenty or so.”
“Are they armed?” Chet asked.
Andy nodded his head up and down.
At that moment Bill exited the building. He stopped, still holding the door open. “What?”
“Twenty armed people at the barricade,” Sam said. “That’s all we’ve gotten out of him so far.”
Without saying a word, Bill immediately stepped back inside the building.
“What was their demeanor?” Sam asked. “Passive or aggressive?”
Andy took another deep breath and then wiped his face with his T-shirt sleeve. “They weren’t shooting, but they wanted in. Said they were from Walland.”
The door swung open and Bill and Hank stepped out.
“The group is from Walland,” Sam said.
“Five miles up the road,” Bill said.
Sam nodded. “They want in.”
Hank rubbed the back of his neck. “Shit.”
“At least they’re not shooting,” Tiff said. “Yet.”
Hank nodded.
Bill knelt down in front of Andy. “Anything else?”
“Yeah,” Andy said. “We only have two guys at the barricade. Tom and Steve left to take a break. Jay and Tim were anxious as hell when I left to get help. They don’t know what to do.”
“We need to get down there,” Sam said, as he moved toward the Hummer.
“Hold up,” Hank said. “I’ll ride with you.” He turned to Bill. “Round up as many of the militia as you can in the next ten minutes and bring them up.”
Bill nodded. “Will do.” He took off trotting toward the school.
Sam, Chet, and Tiff hopped into the Hummer.
Hank stopped and looked back at Andy. “You coming?”
Andy stood up, shuffled to the Hummer, and got in.
As Chet wheeled the truck down the road toward the barricade, Sam pondered the problems with trying to defend an entire town. Obviously, the lack of communications and having to use runners was already a serious issue. And the lack of manpower was another giant dilemma. Sam wondered if this whole idea was really workable.
Chet brought the Hummer to an abrupt stop forty feet back from the barricade. Everyone piled out and trotted forward, except Andy. He hung back.
Sam saw Jay and Tim waving their rifle barrels back and forth and heard them taking turns ordering people to stay back.
The crowd, consisting of men, women, and children, remained civil and on their side of the barricade. They weren’t even raising their voices. Each held at least one satchel of some sort and a few wore or held guns. One member of the crowd—heavy set, about forty—seemed to be their main spokesman.
Hank weaved through the first line of cars and walked up next to Jay and Tim.
Sam, Chet, and Tiff stepped between the two lines of cars, but remained a few feet behind Hank.
Hank put his hand on top of Jay’s rifle and gently pushed the barrel toward the ground. “Lower your rifles,” he whispered.
Tim lowered his rifle and took a step back.
The crowd went silent.
Hank turned to address the man standing in front of the crowd. “I’m Hank Nelson. What can we do for you?”
The man in front of the crowd took a step closer to the line of cars directly in front of Hank. “I’m Jeff Eubanks. We’re from Walland.”
“How can we help you?” Hank asked.
“We were inundated with people from Marysville,” Jeff said. “We left early, but there will be plenty more headed this way, eventually.”
“I’m sorry,” Hank said, “we barely have the resources to take care of Townsend citizens, we can’t let you in.”
“We only want to pass through,” Jeff said. “We’re headed for the mountains.”
“You don’t have the equipment to survive the mountains,” Chet said, “especially during the winter.”
“We’ll take our chances,” Jeff said. “Better than dying now from marauders and thieves.”
“They’ve taken everything,” a woman standing behind Jeff said.
Hank stepped back and leaned toward Sam. “What do you think?” Hank whispered.
“Even if they pass through,” Sam said, “they’ll be back when their food runs out and they’re starving.”
“And then they’ll be coming from our rear,” Tiff said.
Sam glanced back at the sound of a truck engine and saw Bill pull the Chevy pickup to a stop behind the Hummer. Bill hopped out, along with two other men from the cab, and three from the truck bed. Everyone was armed. Bill dispersed the five men along the rear line of barricade cars, and then joined Hank, Sam, Chet, and Tiff at the front.
“This is Jeff,” Hank said, as Bill approached. “This group is from Walland. They say they just want to pass through.”
Bill stepped closer to Hank and Sam. “If we let them through, we’ll end up letting everyone through. And then we’ll have a hungry mob behind us.”
“They can circle around this barricade,” Hank said, “using the back roads, and even forest trails, if necessary.”
“That’s true,” Bill said. He inhaled deeply and then blew air out of his mouth, making a puffing noise with his lips. He then stared at the ground while he pinched the skin at the bridge of his nose between his eyes. “I don’t know,” he finally said.
“They might circle around,” Sam said. “Might not.”
“The immediate problem is this group, right here, right now,” Tiff said.
Chet nodded.
Hank looked at Tiff, took a moment to think, and then turned back to Jeff. “Sorry, can’t let you through,” Hank said. “We’ll use force if necessary.”
Jeff looked back at the people behind him and then faced Hank. “We can’t go back, and I don’t think you will shoot these people.” He stuck his arm in the air and motioned everyone forward.
The people shuffled forward peacefully and began climbing up on the line of cars.
Hank took several steps back, raised his rifle, and fired three rounds in the air over the heads of the advancing group.
The group paused for a moment and then kept climbing. Women comforted young children, some crying, as the mass climbed over the cars and began stepping to the ground.
Jeff stopped directly in front of Hank. “We’re just passing through.” He then kept walking.
“So much for the barricade,” Chet said.
Hank lowered his rifle and looked at Chet. “I can’t shoot these people, and I don’t think you can either.”
Sam turned to Bill. “You should take your men back to protect the police department and school.”
Hank nodded.
Bill turned to the rear, waved a circle in the air with his arm, and headed for the Chevy. His men lowered their rifles and jumped back in the truck. Bill started the engine, whipped the truck into a tight turn, and sped back toward town.
“I’d have made the same decision,” Sam said to Hank.
“Y
eah, that’s not much comfort,” Hank said. “Like Chet said, so much for the barricade.”
“This was a peaceful group,” Sam said. “The next one may not be. And there will be a next one.”
“So you think we should continue with our plan, keep armed militia here to repel invaders,” Hank said.
“I do,” Sam said. “The next group may not stop to chat. They may just try to barrel through and then ransack the town.”
Hank marched the few steps over to Jay and got in his face. “So where the hell did Steve and Tom go?” Hank asked in a slightly raised voice.
“Said they were taking a break and walked off,” Jay said. “Probably at the lodge.”
Hank stared west down the highway at the backs of Jeff and his people as they continued on. He then turned back to Jay. “I need for you, Andy, and Tim to man this post until I can get some people back here,” Hank said. “Can you do that?”
“I can,” Jay said.
Hank looked at Tim and then waved for Andy to come up.
“We’ll be here,” Tim said.
Chet walked off toward the Hummer.
Hank turned toward Sam. “I guess we had better make sure that group doesn’t decide to stay awhile.”
Sam nodded and turned to join Hank and Tiff as they started walking. They met Chet on his way back from the Hummer. He held five bottles of water and five MREs in his arms.
“For the troops,” Chet said, as he passed Sam.
Sam nodded and kept walking. The three of them piled into the Hummer and waited for Chet to return.
“We’re not going to be able to stop this, are we?” Hank asked.
“I don’t know,” Sam said. “But it’s worth trying.”
“Really, you think so,” Hank said. He massaged the back of his neck and stared out the window.
“As of right now, everything is under control,” Sam said. “You have some tourists walking through town. We watch their movements and make sure they keep walking.”
“And we deal with the barricade and any future groups,” Tiff said.
Chet returned to the Hummer and slid behind the steering wheel. “It’s too late to look for Toby, maybe tomorrow,” he said, as he started the engine. “Where to?”
“Drop Hank off at the department,” Sam said. “And then I guess we had better go check on Charlie and Emma.”
