by Bobby Akart
He explained something to Lee during those initial days together. Fighting a war was one thing, but an insurgency was another matter. A war was about power. An insurgency was about disruption. In order to fulfill their Dear Leader’s directive regarding Texas, they would have to be stealthy, moving quietly and under the radar around the state.
Lee couldn’t suddenly insert thousands of Koreans into the state of Texas. Holloway laughed during the conversation. You’ll be lucky if a dozen Koreans go unnoticed. The two commanders concocted a plan that would achieve their goal, and then they could focus their attention on the larger plan.
On this day, the men sat around the fire as equals, with a common goal of advancing their interests. Lee’s was to fulfill a promise to Dear Leader to destroy the rest of the North American power grid. What the EMP had failed to accomplish, his Lighting Death Squads would. Unknown to Lee, Holloway’s goal was to kill, pillage, and destroy.
So the two men waited, dreaming of their future battles. As soon as the additional thousands of soldiers of the Korean People’s Army arrived in Mexico, and ultimately in the Southwestern United States, the operations of the Fifth Column would begin.
Chapter 62
Christmas Eve
The Armstrong Ranch
Borden County, Texas
It’s been said every person must experience a long journey before they could realize how wonderful home was. For the Rodeo Kids, they could’ve clicked their heels together like The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy back in Calgary and skipped the journey part. More than once over the four weeks of travel, the three swore and promised each other that once the world was right again, they’d never leave the ranch. Forget rodeos. No trips to the mall. No rides into Lubbock with their daddy. Nope, they’d become homebodies for life.
It was late on their fourth day of walking when Cooper, Riley and Palmer began to recognize the land west of Armstrong Ranch. Even though this part of West Texas would look the same as any other to the unfamiliar eye, to the three youngest members of the Armstrong family, every mud hole and dry creek bed reminded them they were close to home.
When they reached the corner fence post marking the start of the southern boundary of the ranch, they broke out into a trot, which quickly became a jog. Cooper led the way courtesy of his lean build and long legs.
The AR-15 rifle, which had been a lifesaver to them on this long road home, bounced heavily on his back, so he removed it and cradled it in his arms like a security blanket as he jogged ahead.
“Look, y’all,” said Palmer, pointing up ahead. “Daddy and Preacher built guard towers. I wonder if they built a fort and a moat with gators too?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” replied Riley as he put his right hand on Palmer’s back, urging her to pick up the pace. Cooper had stretched his lead to almost twenty yards when Riley shouted to him. “Hey, Coop. Wait for—”
Riley’s sentence was cut off by several gunshots fired in their direction from the newly constructed tower.
Cooper fell to the ground and rolled down a slight embankment into the fencing. Riley and Palmer continued ahead but ran into the dirt to get off the road.
Riley shouted to his brother as he crawled forward on his hands and knees to keep his body low. “Coop, are you okay? Coop?”
Cooper moaned his response. “Yeah, just tore up my hands and knees.”
Palmer was furious. “Who’s shooting at us? We’re not lost, are we?”
“No,” replied Riley. “Just some danged fool. Coop, give me that rifle. I’ll let ’em know we don’t appreciate the rude welcoming committee.”
Cooper clutched the rifle a little tighter, not because he wanted to do the shooting, but to keep the impulsive Riley from doing something stupid.
“Keep your heads down and just wait a minute. This’ll sort itself out,” instructed Cooper through gritted teeth. He wiped his hands on his jeans to remove the small bits of gravel embedded in his skin.
“Hey, I hear the sounds of trucks comin’,” said Palmer.
The three of them lay prone on the ground, hoping that the approaching vehicles were the cavalry and not a bunch of killers roaming West Texas that might have overtaken the family’s ranch.
The first pickup to arrive was recognized by Cooper immediately. It was used by Antonio. Cooper quickly closed his eyes and prayed for safety. When he opened them, Antonio was cautiously approaching with his rifle raised, followed by another hand, who did the same.
Coop pushed himself onto his knees with his hands raised. “Antonio, you’re not gonna shoot me, are you?” Antonio and Cooper had practically grown up together and had always been close. Despite Cooper’s bearded, disheveled appearance, his old friend instantly recognized him.
“Coop, seriously? Riley! Miss Palmer! Stand up. I’m so sorry they shot at you. Come here, my friends!”
The three rushed to Antonio and hugged him over the livestock fencing, which surrounded the ranch. Antonio began to help them climb over the wire fencing as a white pickup approached at a high rate of speed. Cooper dusted himself off and helped Riley do the same. Once Palmer joined them, they walked down the perimeter road and stood waiting for the truck they knew was used by Preacher.
Their daddy jumped out of the passenger side before Preacher could slide to a stop in a cloud of dust. Palmer was the first to jump in his arms, tears streaming down her beautiful, dusty face.
Major couldn’t control his emotions as he began to cry. Now all three kids were in their father’s arms, crying tears of joy and relief. The family reunion overtook the emotions of Preacher and Antonio as well, as tears and sniffles, followed by nervous laughter, became contagious.
“Y’all are one heckuva Christmas present,” said Major through his sobs and laughter.
“Whoa, I forgot about Christmas,” said Palmer, who wouldn’t let go of her daddy. “When is it?”
Major looked into his only daughter’s eyes and saw a younger version of Lucy staring back. “Honey, today is Christmas Eve, and you three are nothin’ short of a miracle. Lord, thank you for keeping them safe.” Then he began to cry again, unable to compose himself.
He tried to ask Preacher to raise Lucy on the radio, but he couldn’t manage the words, not that it mattered. His old friend understood and immediately instructed Antonio’s hand to drive to the ranch house to bring Miss Lucy on the double. Tell her the Rodeo Kids are home.
Major and their children walked arm in arm as they approached the tower. Standing at the bottom was one of the displaced Lazy S ranch hands, begging forgiveness for firing upon them. He was beside himself as he apologized. It was Cooper who eased the man’s mind. He embraced him and whispered in his ear, “Don’t you apologize. Let me thank you for taking care of our family while we were gone.”
Feeling better, the man climbed the ladder to his post just as the pickup returned from the ranch house. All three kids immediately broke down again, knowing they’d feel the hugs of their mother after all this time.
Major and Preacher stood back as the truck approached. Miss Lucy was in the front seat with her hand covering her mouth. Her eyes were draining tears as if buckets of water had been poured over her head.
Somewhat in shock, she remained frozen in the front seat, unable to move. With smiles of joy and the floodgates of emotions pouring out of them, the Rodeo Kids went to greet their mother. She slid out of the truck and squeezed the life out of each of them.
When Major joined them, the group once again became a babbling mess of tears and snotty noses. Nobody cared. Their love passed from one to the other.
The love a parent has for their child is like nothing else on earth. This powerful bond knows no fear, no regret, and it dares anything to get in its way, ferociously crushing any obstacle.
Chapter 63
Christmas Eve
The Armstrong Ranch
Borden County, Texas
Once the emotions calmed, Lucy conducted the customary check of her Rodeo Kids, just as she did after e
very rodeo trip. She asked about bumps, bruises, and broken bones. She quickly converted from deliriously happy mother to Miss Lucy, ruler of the roost, and told every one of them they would hose off in the barn before being allowed to enter the house. “My horses smell better than you three,” she said with a laugh. And she said, with her back bowed up, neither of her sons would be allowed at the dinner table until those beards were gone.
The conversation lingered, as none of them wanted to be apart for the short ride back to the ranch house, until the guard who’d fired upon Cooper shouted down to Preacher, “We have a rider approaching from the west.”
Preacher scrambled to the trucks. “Y’all need to get behind here and stay out of sight. We’ll handle this.”
Major led the family to safety, and then he pulled his handgun. Preacher scrambled up to the tower to get a better look.
“Antonio, let’s go,” shouted Major as he ran to the driver’s side.
“I’m comin’ too,” shouted Cooper as he grabbed his rifle, which lay across the hood of the other pickup.
After Cooper jumped in the back, Major pointed forward, urging Antonio toward the west to meet the intruders. The numbers of refugees finding their way near the Armstrong Ranch was growing more frequent, and Major intended to meet any threat head-on. Just like when he’d led his men at Company C, he would never ask anyone within his charge to do something he wasn’t willing to do himself.
Cooper slid over to the driver’s side of the truck and pointed his rifle in the direction of the riders.
Major hollered back to him through the sliding window of the pickup’s cab, “Whadya see, Coop?”
“Looks like two riders, one horse, Daddy. Second rider is smaller, maybe a child or a girl.”
“Any weapons?” asked Major.
“No, sir. The rider isn’t raising a gun of any kind. He’s just rollin’ along like it’s a Sunday stroll.”
Antonio slowed the truck to avoid several potholes and to prevent Cooper from bouncing out of the bed. As he did, Cooper steadied his rifle.
“Holy smokes!” he exclaimed, which immediately drew Major’s attention.
“What?”
“I don’t know, Daddy. But it sure looks like a furry version of Duncan. I’d swear to it. It also looks like he’s got a girl with him, a pretty one too. Not furry like him.”
Major started laughing and motioned for Antonio to slow down. Cooper stood up in the back of the truck, and the rider lifted his right arm to wave.
“Daddy! It’s Duncan for sure!”
Antonio slowed to a stop, and Cooper, still carrying the AR-15, rushed to greet the brother whom he’d been estranged from for so many years following the death of Dallas. At this moment, all ill feelings were erased and a clean slate established.
Duncan slid off his horse and helped Sook down as well. The two siblings crashed into each other with the fence separating them. They slapped each other on the back, pulled at each other’s beards, and then started the process over again.
Major, who didn’t think he had any more tears in the reservoir, opened up the spigot as he reached his oldest son. Every time Duncan left on a mission, there was a fear that he might not return. He’d been out of touch since his last FaceTime chat with Miss Lucy back in the fall.
“Thank God you’re alive, son,” said Major, who was overcome with emotions once again. “I always knew you would be. You’re a survivor.”
“Thanks, Daddy. You have no idea. Listen, I want you and Coop to meet my friend Sook. She saved my life, Daddy. When I was destined to die, facedown in an ice-cold, North Korean river, she found me and nursed me back to health. I owe her my life.”
Major smiled and reached across the fence to embrace Sook. She giggled nervously as tears streamed down her dust-covered face. Major pulled a red and white handkerchief from his pocket to gently dab her wet cheeks.
“Missy, you are adorable in so many ways. Thank you for saving our son.”
Duncan helped Sook over the fence, and then he joined the group while Antonio tended to his horse. Duncan told him to treat this gelding like a king, because he’d sure earned his crown on this trip.
Antonio led the horse away as Lucy, Riley, and Palmer arrived in the second truck. The three of them raced into Duncan’s arms. Major stood back as Lucy was reunited with her firstborn, alternating hugs and kisses with inspections and touches to the face to make sure he was real.
Then they were introduced to Sook and embraced her like a long-lost sister. The family was instantly mesmerized and enthralled by her command of the English language. They commented how her accent was so adorable, with Palmer warning Sook that she’d probably lose her voice as the family of Texans sought to listen to anyone that didn’t sound like they were from around here.
As he admired the loves of his life, Major wasn’t sure how many tears the human body could produce at a given time, but one thing was certain, the reunification of the Armstrong family, plus one, created enough to keep the ranch’s wells filled for a month.
Chapter 64
Christmas Eve
The Armstrong Ranch
Borden County, Texas
Many Texans used the Christmas season to exhibit their Texas pride, adorning their homes with out-of-the-ordinary décor and gracing their dinner tables with nontraditional foods. The history of cowboys in Texas was on full display at the Armstrong Ranch on this extraordinary day.
Wreaths made of barbed wire centered around an old boot were hung throughout the ranch house and the barns, which were the focal point of their Christmas activities. Wreaths were also made of cactus pads strung together with rope in celebration of the vast West Texas desert. Garlands were made of spurs strung together with twine.
All the ranch hands and their families were arriving at the barns for a late afternoon worship service followed by the passing out of gifts to the handful of kids who lived on the ranch. Antonio had brought an old wagon from the barnyard down to the house, pulled by one of several Texas Longhorns in their herd. He was giving the kids a ride in a circle-eight path, which wound its way around the barns.
The Mexican connection to Christmas at the Armstrongs’ was evident as well. Called las posadas, the celebration traditionally began on December 16 and ran through Buena Noche—Christmas Eve. Historically of Catholic faith, Mexicans would attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve, followed by gift giving.
For this Christmas Eve celebration, the women and children had gotten together over the last few days to make piñatas made of papier-mâché and cloth. Miss Lucy had bags of candy left over from past Halloween celebrations on the ranch as part of her food stores. The sweets, plus some old Hot Wheels cars, which had belonged to Cooper and Riley, were used to fill the piñatas before they were hung around the barn.
Major, Duncan, and Preacher were gathered around the front porch of the house, sipping freshly brewed coffee, when they were joined by the youngest of the Armstrong men—Cooper and Riley.
“This has turned out to be quite the Christmas, gentlemen,” said Major with a smile as he took another sip of the hot coffee. Riley peeled away to fetch a couple of mugs for himself and Cooper.
“It is, Daddy,” said Cooper. “Honestly, this is the first Christmas I’ve been really excited about since I was a kid. You know, when you grow up, the whole concept of Santa Claus kinda fades away, and soon your hopes for packages under the tree is replaced with dreams of envelopes full of greenbacks.”
Everyone laughed along with Cooper’s analysis. The wonder of Christmas was best seen through the eyes of a child. The meaning of Christmas, however, can only be appreciated by adults, especially those who’ve faced adversity and who considered the challenges in life that were in store for them.
Upon their arrival, the Armstrong children and Sook focused on cleaning up and getting ready for the evening worship service established by Preacher. Miss Lucy told them not to get bogged down in storytelling about the events of the past month. They were all keenly a
ware that the ability of man to destroy one another had been on full display.
The Armstrong kids had faced death and unimaginable horrors. Now they were home, surrounded by protective parents and the comradery of friendships. The battles would continue because the threats persisted, but for tonight, they promised to focus on how God had blessed them and delivered them home safely.
Duncan was the first to break his promise to his mother. “Daddy, I’m gonna need to speak to someone about what I observed out there. I’m neither paranoid nor conspiratorial. Y’all know that. I’m tellin’ you, something’s brewing, and it’s closer to home than anybody realizes.”
“I understand, son,” said Major. “We’ll plan on driving into Austin to see Marion as soon as we can. I met former Secretary Gregg at a Christmas party the night of the EMP. He seems like a reasonable fella. He’s vice president, you know.”
“Of Texas?” asked Duncan.
“Yessir. I suspect he cut ties with Washington—”
Major was interrupted by Miss Lucy’s arrival on the front porch, followed by Riley with two mugs of coffee. He joined the menfolk and delivered Cooper his favorite mug bearing the PBR logo.
“Enough shoptalk, boys,” she demanded. “Y’all need to line up down here in front of me and let me hand out your marching orders.”
Palmer and Sook emerged from the house with big smiles on their faces. They appeared to enjoy the spectacle of Lucy barking out the orders.
“Now, Miss Lucy, before you start, I need to talk to you about security,” began Major. “We can’t pull all the hands off the fences. Somebody’s gotta handle security while we—”
Lucy held up both hands and shook her head, providing Major a clear stop sign advising him not to say another word.
“Now you boys listen to me,” she began authoritatively, to the giggles and delight of her young female charges standing behind her. “I’ve trusted my life to God for all of these years, and if I can’t trust him to watch over this ranch for two hours while all of us enjoy this Christmas Eve service, what does that say about my faith?”
