by T J Reeder
After another truck load of stuff went down to town Margo came back and sat down and looked stunned and said John, Sandy there is no way we can repay you folks for this. Sandy hugged her and said hey we stole it so don’t worry!
Margo laughed but looked at Sandy and said your telling the truth aren’t you? Sandy then told them about the Air base and the prison and how our taxes paid for it all so actually we didn’t steal it we just reclaimed it.
I asked our comm people to set up a comm set up in the town and that they were the first of a line of outposts in this area and how well they worked down in Texas and Oklahoma.
Kinda like in the old days when the Indians attacked a homestead and they rang the bell and others passed it along and then rode to help out.
Charley said watch it with the Indian stuff white eyes. Sandy said something to him and he replied and they both laughed. I was getting a bit tired of this shit but I knew I’d never learn a word of it.
We talked about any rumors they might have heard and both said there was talk of a Government setting up that abolished the Constitution and folks were getting out of the east one way or the other and that they had seen some vehicles moving past but only one had stopped and those folks had told them it was really bad back in the Eastern cities and the new Government was taking control of all the food and trading it for the guns people had.
That raised some eyes from our folks who were sitting around listening. One of the men said well that shit ain’t gonna fly out here and several agreed. I agreed too but I could see that it was gonna take more then saying no.
Harry and Margo had no idea who this new Government was headed by but I had an idea it was some of the liberals who hid out in their prepared bunkers while the country went to hell in which case they sure as hell wasn’t gonna push their shit down any throats in the west.
We stayed another few days so the mech crews could service the trucks. When you’re riding in Military vehicles you go but ya go slow by highway standards coz everything is low geared and 55 MPH is pretty much top speed for most rigs. And they require good maintenance.
We finally took leave of the good folks of Rock Springs and felt that we were leaving good friends behind. I figured if we stayed longer we would have lost some men to the charms of the unattached ladies. But then again if anybody wanted to stay it was understood.
I also failed to notice we had added to our ranks since several of the ladies decided to become members of our rolling fur ball. We had way more men then women and Rock Springs had a lot more women so it seems the ladies worked it our among themselves.
I don’t care but they will all attend our rolling boot camp, we don’t teach marching or spit shining or worry about ones hair but your weapon of choice will be clean and loaded at all times and you will be in shape meaning everyday one is expected to get out and walk several miles or at least do the best you can. With your weapons and water, a couple of empty 6x’s trail along and pick them up as they decide they have walked enough.
And yes I do it too with Brother Charley. The redhead needs it like a wolf needs directions on how to hunt. But she will get out when I’m driving and trot along beside the road until she’s cover several miles then she hops a vehicle who brings her home to daddy.
And no I don’t run, I walk and that’s hard enough. Charley and I have agreed when it’s time to run we will just fight a holding action so the others can get away.
I have little or no interest in staying on this interstate since it’s the folks in the out lands that we are mostly interested in but if we wondered allover the whole country winter would catch us in the wrong place so we are going to head right down 80 right into the gut of the beast ( damn that’s a catchy saying huh?) to the big river and see what’s there and in between we will do what we can to help the ones we can help and if need be deal with the ones who need dealing with.
Yea sounds like I’ve set myself up as the big cheese on what’s right and wrong. But damnit we all know right from wrong and some asshat that thinks he is free to harm others just because he gets off that way will be assisted in getting off permanently.
So yea I guess that makes me the sheriff and I have a shit load of deputies!
My plan is to make the best time we can all the way to the Mississippi and then after looking around a bit to zig zag back to Fort Navajo where those who want to can winter while others may ant to return to their homes like Joe and Willy heading back to their canyon home on the lake. But first we will see what we can see.
Moving at the speeds we are it will take a while to get there but we ain’t in a big hurry and plan to stop and check out any other communities like Rock Springs. We will do anything we can to help strengthen these communities that are working to rebuild. This is the only way we will ever get American back on the track to the kind of freedom our founding fathers wanted.
Rawlins was our next stop and it too was doing well. We used the same approach as before and would from now on. The folks there welcomed us and seemed to be doing really well. It seems they had a large group of preppers who pulled the community together on day one and by the time the raiders started showing up they were well set up as attested to by the size of the Boot Hill right on the turn off of the highway and a big sign that said “ Vacancy! Raiders and other trash welcome!! Drop in and stay”
These folks had it together and by day two had crews out on the interstate stripping any and everything even remotely usable and hauling it back to the town.
They had set up an interesting leadership committee. It was done by a drawing of lots instead of election by popularity vote. Every adult had to draw a pea from a can, it had a pea for every person in the community except those who declined to be on the committee. All the peas were white except for seven and six of those were black and the seventh was red.
The blacks were the committee and the red bean was the chairman of the board so to speak who only voted in case of a tie. Sounded kinda like a kids game but it worked for them. And any person who seemed to develop a lust for the power could be voted off by the people.
They really didn’t need much of anything from us but we did offer and they accepted becoming a part of the outpost network and we set up a radio for them.
They had no information about the doings in the east and figured it was because folks passing thru would see the boot hill and keep on going.
Two days later we headed out on the road again, Scouts out a mile or so and we made good time and we made it to Laramie with an over night stay in a rest area. Early the next day we were a couple of miles from the City line when the Scouts called back and Charley signaled for a halt.
He said the scouts reported a bad looking scene ahead, said it looked like a war zone and shots could be heard. We loaded up and followed Charley while the main unit stayed in place with guards out and scouts taking to the high ground.
We pulled up beside the lead scout rig and un-assed to crawl up to the crest and it did look like a war zone. Smoke was starting to rise up and shots were being fired but not like an all out assault but more of a keep your head down if you wanna keep it.
It sounded like maybe 15 or 20 people shooting and most likely were out of ammo, Charley sent a pair of scouts in on foot to check it out while we held our position. It took them about 45 minutes to reach a place where they could see better and radio back. Charley listened then spoke to them , listened some more and said something else then looked at me.
He said the scouts were looking at a small group of people, men, women and kids, penned down behind some old vehicles loaded with what looked like stuff folks would have on the move and living out of doors.
They were being shot at by a bunch of trashy looking men who were mostly just firing the occasional shot while passing bottles around. The people behind the cars and trucks were only firing when a target showed too much to pass up and he said somebody down there was a damn good shot.
Since the bad guys weren’t expecting us and were obliging us
by all being in one area in a ditch where they could fire from under vehicles spaced along the ditch in a manner to suggest this wasn’t their first dance of this type. Well we could make it their last.
Charley said he would handle it and spoke into his radio and the remainder of the advance scouts fired up their Hv’s and roared over the hill and out of sight. Shortly the sound of the machine guns mounted on the HV’s were playing their song and a damn short one it was.
We mounted up and rolled down to the scene of the fight where we found we weren’t exactly being greeted like the conquering heroes we were. The folks we saved were still behind their vehicles and still ready for a fight.
Being tired of always being shoved to the side I grabbed the white flag off the Scout rig and took off walking fast toward these folks and of course I could her herself stomping along behind me cussing.
How anybody weighing 100+ zip pounds could stomp so hard is beyond me but I really don’t care cause I just smiled and stretched out my longer legs and made her run to catch up.
Tonight’s fight was gonna be a good un and I could hear the rest of the bastards betting on her to win which of course she would, but I had to make it a good enough fight to entertain the troops!
Who needs the USO? We got a fiery redhead pip squeak and a snaky old fart who loves tweaking her tail. It’s fun as long as she’s unarmed.
Well after I got within about 25 yards I stopped so fast she ran right up my tail pipes! Damn this was fun as long as I didn’t get shot and from the laughter coming from the folks in front of me I might not, but from the cussing behind me I might.
But I was having fun for the first time in weeks and it was worth whatever price the piper demanded.
Standing there looking at the pile of vehicles with god knew how many rifles pointed at me I thought…SHIT! If I get shot this time it may be for good.
Finally since somebody had to say something I spoke up and said “Ok, either shoot me and save me from what she’s gonna do later or are you the kind who likes to see old men mistreated.
From out of the tangled mess a female voice said “ I vote we don’t shoot him provided we get front row seats to the ass kickin he’s gonna get later. For folks who just minutes ago were in fear of being dead real soon they was a spunky crowd.
Then another country was heard from when she stepped around in front of me and said “ Johnny Long Walker”” I swear to god above if we live a few more minutes I intend to make you wish your passing was sooner then later!
That seemed to cause a stir from these folks and one of the men said “I’m coming out and please tell that man on the Pig to please don’t shoot. I looked around and saw the barrels moving up meaning Charley was on the ball.
The Man that came out was maybe 25 years old, wearing BDU’s of the desert pattern like we were wearing. He walked up and snapped to attention and started to salute but I said “stop”! arresting his movement he still stood at attention. I told him to please stand easy which he turned into a half parade rest and half at ease. He then reported. Sergeant Bradley White US Army Airborne Rangers Sir!
I just shook my head and said fine Sergeant White, Bradley, please stop making me looking like somebody important which might get me shot and I assure you this pipsqueak redhead will drop you like a used condom.
Well sir that got him to laughing and he did relax so we took time to check over his people which numbered fifteen of which four were wounded and three dead. Our medics rolled in fast and soon had the wounded stabilized.
Brad and his people buried their people where they fell as warriors have since the dawn of time. While they were doing that sad duty the mech. Crew looked over the vehicles they had and found most were shot to pieces. When Brad came over we told him the news and offered to load them and their gear into our rigs for the time being.
He agreed for his people and we left this place to the dead. The weapons the bad guys were using weren’t much but we took them anyway, guns that work regardless of looks are worth their weight.
After the main convoy caught up we talked about looking over the ruins of Laramie but it looked so bad we decided it wasn’t worth it.
We camped in open country a few miles off the highway in some low hills. That night we traded information with Brad and his people. They were refugees from the East having made it across the river thanks to Bradley’s training in river crossing. They had to leave behind most of their gear but kept their weapons and best clothing and food.
After reaching the other side they hid out during the day and moved at night until they were well away from the river because of the gangs who swarmed it looking to rob “runners” trying to make it to safety.
After they were as safe as they were gonna get they spent several days finding vehicles they could get running and draining fuel which after sitting all this time was iffy at best. But they got enough to get moving and made a bee line for Wyoming.
Sandy asked why here and not Okla. or Texas? Bradley said well miz Sandy we were looking for yawl because we all know what’s coming and want to be in on it. Sandy asked what was coming and we all crapped at the answer. Bradley said “ It’s common knowledge that General Walker is building a Freedom Army and intends to retake America!
Well I was knocked on my ass by that. Sandy just nodded and said how is that word being spread? He said it was all over the outlawed short wave radio channels. I was watching Sandy as she got Bradley talking and it dawned on me that she wasn’t surprised by this General Walker shit. We were heading for a come to Jesus meeting damn quick.
Finally I asked who started this crap about me building an army? He said it started with the new government of the “ North American Protectorate of the New World Order” well I choked on that one and asked what bunch of assholes had come up with that?
Bradley said it was a group of very left wing Senators and Congressmen who had been aware of the events leading up to the EMP that shut down the entire world except for the safe zones prepared for the elite. And the sell out was already a plan waiting to be implemented.
He said there were many thousands of Americans trapped in the East who were being rounded up and disarmed and being processed to work in the factories being reopened by the new order.
This was all news to me but I had a feeling some of my people knew all about it so I called a meeting of my leadership team and Bradley which we held away from the main camp which went against my usual way of doing things but I needed to know what WTF was going on.
It only took a short time to get there, Sandy said the Commo people had been picking up talk among the short wave people about an army heading for the East lead by a General Walker.
This army was said to be a scouting element aimed at finding out what was going on before the main army in Texas and Oklahoma and several other states started moving to the North and East to wipe out the Commie bastards trying to enslave all Americans.
I asked when they had planned to fill me in on this shit and Sandy smiled and said well we figured when you found out on your on you would make your decisions based on facts and not rumors. But she didn’t expect it to be this soon.
I could only shake my head and glare at my former friend and brother Charley until he finally smiled and said something to Sandy and which she took a moment to pin down and then started giggling like a teenager. I pulled my pack over and removed a bottle of Johnny Walker and opened for a big swig which brought on a coughing fit then I passed it to Bradley who was innocent of any wrong doing that I could see.
Joe and Willy just sat and smile but did grab the bottle and swill some down before I could stop them the rats then they tossed it to Charley who seldom ever touched the stuff but took a big drink while looking me in the eye and then passed it to Sandy the evil witch who took a small drink before tossing it at my head causing me to duck and grab and that started us all laughing so I took a sip and it went on around the circle.
Charley cleared his throat and we all got quiet and after a mom
ent he spoke. He said that we in the West and in the middle of the country had actually had it easy since the troubles compared to the people in the east and on the west coast, he said we all knew that those areas were the hands of Socialist type elected officials which they had put in office. The people in the midlands of America were the most able to survive the problems following the EMP which was a miscalculation on the part of the ones who ordered the EMP strikes. In their stupidity they assumed we were all a bunch of gun nuts who would kill each other off and solve their problems. They were wrong.
I think this was the longest Charley ever talked and I was listening! He sure didn’t sound like just another Indian from the Rez, he was lecturing like a teacher in some big school.
I asked him who started this General Walker shit and he said while he didn’t know he thought it was people in the East who needed something for the people to find hope in. That just the thought that somewhere out there in the outlands an army was moving to come stop the evil being pushed on them gave them heart and they were willing to rise up and fight but they needed some hope.
