by AJ Newman
Rick asked, “Can anyone hear or see us right now?”
“They could see us, but I placed the microphone on a timer to cut off for three hours. We still have a few minutes,” Tom replied.
Kate had a worried look. “Are we going after this Carlos creep?”
“I’m going after him, but will need some of you to back me up. No rushing because I want to eliminate the spy before I kill the bastard.”
Rick had another question. “How do you know that someone or even the ranch doesn’t have a bug or GPS tracker?”
Jackie said, “Because Grandpa was a stickler for security, and we have used our electronics to sweep the place. That’s why we think whoever it is meets their contact face to face.”
“Carlos threatened me before killing Sam, and I think he meant it. I think we have to find a way to dangle me as bait without actually exposing me to harm,” said Tom.
Kate and Jackie both responded with, “I don’t like that.”
Kate added her two cents. “I know you’re a brave man and wouldn’t do anything stupid, but are you freaking nuts?”
Tom placed his arms around Kate from the back and rubbed his face in her short hair. “Trust me. I intend to make Carlos believe I’m an available target without being the target. Perhaps we let it slip to the group that Rick and I’ll be going into Ashland to rescue a friend who lives at a specific place. We watch the place and see if Carlos’s men show up.”
Kate listened to the plan and then spoke up. “If that plan will work, why didn’t Carlos’s men try to capture you the other day when you went to Ashland?”
“Because we only told Granny B and you that we were going to Ashland. I told the others we were heading south to Emigrant Lake. I have made it a goal to never tell anyone other than family and you where we’re going.”
Kate laughed. “I should have thought of that. How about a betting pool on who the spy turns out to be? I’ll place twenty bucks on James.”
Jackie was surprised. “James is a friend. Why him?”
“Because he’s too darned quiet for my liking.”
Jackie said, “Whoa! I think it’s Greta.”
Rick pinched his fiancée. “Ouch! That hurt!” Jackie exclaimed.
Rick said, “Pussy. That’s my niece.”
Tom whistled. “We only have a few minutes before we have to stop talking. First, I think it’s Bill or Betty, only because the others are friends. Second, we have to come up with something better to bet because … where are we going to spend the money?”
Kate laughed and then pulled Tom’s arms tighter around her. “Good catch. How about pulling the other’s guard duty for two days each?”
They all agreed to the stakes and left the area before the microphone was live.
Granny B liked the plan, but had an urgent task for Tom. “The hydro-electric generator has stopped working, and the dad-blamed warning beeper is driving me crazy.”
Tom had heard the beeping and wondered what was wrong when he and Kate entered the room. “You do know there’s a button to stop the beeper, don’t you?”
Tom went to the operations panel and pushed a button. The beeping stopped, but the red light kept flashing. Granny B said, “Did that fix the problem?”
“No, the light indicates the dynamo stopped turning the generator. I’d guess a limb or something got through the guard and jammed the wheel. I’ll hike up to the pond and see what happened. I hope it’s not a burned-out bearing. That would be a day’s work for three people. I’ll take a walkie-talkie with Kate and me, and we’ll check it out.”
North of the Clark ranch by the pond.
The sun was low, and it was a bit chilly as they hiked up the hill arm in arm. They talked about everything and nothing as they walked, stopping to see squirrels, a deer, and a raccoon. The air was clean and crisp, with only the smell of pine in the air. Tom took a deep breath about a hundred yards from the pond and stopped dead in his tracks. He dropped down to one knee and pulled Kate down with him.
Tom drew his pistol and inhaled deeply. “I smell smoke, and the wind is in our face. It’s coming from an area where no one should be. Let’s slow down and see who’s up there.”
Kate began low crawling with her pistol in her hand. Tom had his rifle slung on his back, and Kate had her crossbow. They never went outside without their weapons and backpacks. Tom rigidly enforced his always be prepared rules, thanks to many years of hearing his grandpa do the same for Jackie and him.
The smell of something cooking became more robust as they continued. Then Kate stopped and tapped Tom. “I hear someone talking.”
He listened for a few minutes. “Let’s move closer. I can’t make out what’s being said.”
Tom stopped when he could see movement through the tree limbs and brush. There was only silence, and then a woman spoke. “Jacob, go over to the pond and wash your hands for supper. Take the soap!”
“Awe, Mom.”
“Go!”
“Doris, he’s only eight. All boys at that age are usually covered in dirt.”
There was giggling. “Get your dirty hands off me and go wash them. Start behaving, or the water will be turned off.”
Tom turned to Kate and whispered, “What water? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Kate chuckled and then whispered in his ear. Tom whispered back to her. “Oh, boy, am I clueless.”
Tom whispered, “We need to get a bit closer without being seen,” and crawled a few more feet closer to the people. A young woman was tending a pot over a campfire. A baby was on a blanket next to her. The tow-headed boy ran up to his mom. “I hate rabbit stew!”
Tom had to stifle a laugh and watched as a man walked back to their camp from the pond. He had a pistol in his waistband and a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder. Tom watched closely and saw the woman had a gun on the blanket next to her child. Tom and Jackie watched them eat and heard them talk about their plans for the future.
“Doris, a family could find an open spot up here and build a cabin. There are plenty of cattle, chickens, and pigs running wild, so there’d be plenty of meat. I could find an old hand plow and start a garden, grow some corn, and maybe some wheat. I could go down to the feed and supply store and fetch some seeds. We’d just have to make it through the winter, and then farming will keep us alive.”
“Jerry, that sounds nice, but this land belongs to someone else.”
“Babe, most of the folks will die off over the next two months from starvation, or the gangs will kill them. If we can stay hidden up here, we can survive. We have all our prepper food hidden by the pond and plenty of water. Our tent will do until I can build a good lean-to.”
Tom rolled on his side, facing Kate, and kissed her. “I’ve seen enough. We can go back home now.”
Kate and Tom carefully backed away until they could stand and walk down the hill. Tom waited another few minutes before he thought they could safely talk without being heard. “What did you think about those folks?”
Kate clung to Tom’s side to keep from stumbling in the twilight. “I feel so sorry for them. They’re going to freeze this winter, and that baby will probably die first.”
Tom turned and placed his lips close to her ear. “You’re an old softy inside of that rough and tough exterior. You’re going to try to talk me into taking them down to the bunker, aren’t you?”
Kate deviously said, “No, not me. Your grandfather would roll over in his grave if we took in that dangerous baby and its family."
Tom snickered and patted his girlfriend on the back. “Did you ever see a baby lion grow up and eat a buffalo? The buffalo probably thought the cub was cute.”
“Boy, are you brainwashed?”
Tom chuckled. “That, my dear, was sarcasm.”
“So you’re in favor of helping them?”
Tom stopped and faced Kate. “What I’m saying is, I’ll back your play with Granny B and Jackie. Lay the baby stuff on pretty thick, and you’ll win Jackie over. May luck and God
be with you on convincing Granny B.”
*
Chapter 4
The Clark Ranch – East of Ashland, Oregon.
“The baby is so adorable and just cooed, and I swear I heard it try to say mama several times. The little boy was so sweet and polite to his parents.” Kate piled it on thick.
Jackie hung on every word. “Are you telling me they’re going to try to stay up by the pond this winter in a ragged old tent?”
Tom made his pitch. “The man mentioned he planned to make a lean-to, but I doubt that would be much better than a tent.”
Granny B had been uncharacteristically silent during the discussion. “I guess we’d be doing them a favor by running them away from here. There should be plenty of empty homes down in Ash … .” Granny B saw the long faces. “I was just yanking your chain. Kinda like you two were doing with those sour faces and baby talk. Let’s go up there and bring them down to the bunker. We’ll put both of them to work, and I’ll spoil the kids.”
Tom replied, “I guess we’ll have to blindfold them and get them down here in the morning. We need to be careful about how we contact them. I don’t want any misunderstandings to grow into gunshots and dead people.”
Jackie said, “I have a few ideas that I’ll bounce off you before morning on how to approach them.”
“Good deal,” Tom said
North of the Clark ranch by the pond.
Jackie and Kate talked as though they were walking down the greenway in Ashland, chatting away about life in general and their boyfriends. Kate led them right into the family’s camp and acted surprised when the woman raised her weapon. “Stop, or I’ll shoot.”
They both raised their hands, and Jackie said, “We came up here to invite you to join our group. We have plenty of food and shelter. Staying up here in the winter will be the death of your family.”
The lady’s hand trembled while trying to hold the big .44 Magnum revolver pointed at the women. “We don’t know you, and my husband doesn’t cotton to strangers. He’ll be back here in a minute. Sit down and wait for him.”
“Ma’am, your husband is walking this way from the pond about now with our men. We waited until he was gone to avoid a gunfight. Here they come now,” Jackie said.
Tom and Rick walked into the camp with the woman’s husband sandwiched between them with his hands zip-tied in front of him. Kate saw the pistol drop and knocked it from the lady’s hand. She picked the pistol up. “Sorry, lady, but if you’d fired, our snipers would have unleashed hell on you.”
Tom removed the man’s binding and told him to sit down and talk. “Now that we’re gathered together, and no one got shot, we want to invite you to join our group. We have plenty of safe, warm shelter, food, and hard work to earn your way.”
The man glared at Tom. “Why should we believe you? You came in here and captured us against our will.”
Kate pointed at the man. “And just how should we have contacted you during an apocalypse where everyone is scared and trigger happy? Jackie and I walked up with pistols holstered, and your wife pointed that big hog leg at us. We chose to meet you like this to avoid killing you and your wife.”
“Why can’t you just leave us alone? We aren’t bothering anyone,” the woman said.
Tom smiled and stood up. “You’re camping on our land. It’s been in my family since the 1800s. So yes, you’re bothering us. Besides, we mean it when we say your baby and the rest of you won’t make it through an Oregon winter up here in the mountains. You can join us or leave now, but you can’t stay here. If you join us, we have rules for protecting all of us that have to be obeyed.”
The man was still doubtful. “I don’t know about joining you.”
The woman said, “I’m Doris, that’s my husband Jerry, son Jacob, and Madeline, our sweet baby girl. We call her Maddie. Tell us more about what you have to offer and what you expect from us.”
Thirty minutes later, Jerry and Doris agreed they would move to the group’s compound. Jerry didn’t like the blindfolds or the month of probation, but he’d decided that caution was needed these days. Tom ended the discussion. “Fetch your personal items. I’ll send a crew up here to get your equipment, tent, and those hidden supplies up at the pond.”
Jerry’s head snapped around with his mouth open. “How did you know about the hiding place?”
“Never talk about your hiding spots around the campfire. We knew you to be good people and what you planned to do before we met you. Never go into a situation where you don’t have all the facts unless it’s the last resort,” Tom preached, just as his grandpa had done with Jackie and him long ago.
They only walked down the hill a hundred yards before Tom saw the old pickup winding through the trees climbing the mountain. The truck stopped, and they helped the family into the truck with Rick driving. Tom got in the bed of the truck with the boy. “Home, James!”
Rick drove around the backroads for an hour before going to the bunker.
Jerry griped about the arduous trek through the barn and hidden doors, but was pleasantly surprised when he was told to remove the blindfold. “Hey, it’s warm in here. My, what a view out that window. Where are we?”
Tom motioned for them to sit at the long kitchen table with the rest of the team. Tom banged a saltshaker on the table. “Listen up. Jerry, you won’t know where we are until you pass the month-long trial. Suffice it to say we drove around enough, so you don’t have a clue where we are now.”
While Tom talked, Granny B took charge of little Maddie and rocked her in Granny B’s rocking chair. Tom could hear Granny B humming to the little girl. He stopped and motioned for the others to listen and then said, “You might have trouble with a spoiled baby before Granny B gets done with her.”
Everyone laughed, and Jackie went back to being serious. “I plan to interview you two tomorrow to see what skills you have, and we’ll make work assignments in a few days. We have a working ranch and some farming. Tom told you about guard duty and defending our home here. Tom and Kate will be in charge of your weapons and survival training. Granny B will give classes in edible plants, skinning animals, and other survival skills. Any questions?”
Jerry said, “I was in the National Guard and can handle an M4, 9-mm, shotguns, and light machineguns. I’ve worked on ranches, and I’m very handy in a machine shop.”
Doris looked around the room. “This’ll be so much better than freezing our tails off up on the mountain. As far as skills, I was raised on a little farm up by Grants Pass. I can grow vegetables, tend rabbits, pigmy goats, chickens, and pigs, and I know my way around a kitchen.”
Greta moved closer to Doris. “You can help me with my rabbits.”
Lucy chimed into the conversation. “Our rabbits! Do you know how to skin and clean rabbits?”
“Yes. We sold the meat as well as tamed rabbits for pets. I tended to two colonies. One was New Zealand Whites, and the other was Californian. What breed do you have?”
Greta and Lucy looked at each other. Tom saved them. “They have a few wild bunnies.”
“Oh. That’s better than nothing. Jerry, perhaps we could send them up to our old place to fetch some of our rabbits and pygmy goats.”
Jerry looked angry. “That would be too dangerous.”
Tom asked, “Where did you live?”
“We lived on the Bald Mountain Farm property. I worked as a maintenance and general hand, and my wife was the cook and cleaning lady for the Smith family. We had a cottage on an acre and raised a large vegetable garden, the rabbits, and goats. We provided meat and vegetables to the ranch hands and then were allowed to keep the rest to sell it for profit. I didn’t get paid a lot, but we didn’t pay anything for the home or supplies to raise the animals or crops. We had a good life until Carlos’s men rolled through, taking over all the ranches and farms.”
Tom’s ears perked up. “Tell us more about Carlos and his men and their operation.”
Jerry seemed to slump down in his chair. Doris said, �
�We barely escaped with our lives. They’d captured the ranch and killed anyone who resisted. A greasy Mexican called Jesus was the leader of the group. He would make sure all the men were out working the ranch under armed guard while he stayed back and … and …” She choked up and then finished. “… had his way with the women left behind. That’s when we had to fight our way out of the area. If we hadn’t run out of gas, we’d be in Keno with Jerry’s uncle.”
“Wait a minute. You ran out of gas after the EMP blasts killed all of the vehicles?”
“Yes, older cars and trucks without electronic ignition will still run. Grandpa Smith had a big collection of old farm equipment and farm trucks. He’d kept every vehicle the ranch had ever used, and he purchased several trucks and tractors for his collection. I was his mechanic for the vehicles in my spare time. I borrowed one, and we left, barely escaping through a hail of bullets. Apparently, one of the bullets hit the gas tank on the old Ford two-ton truck.”
Tom jumped on the idea of gaining another truck. “Do you think they found the truck?”
Jerry grinned. “No. I hid it close to a clear cut for some powerlines once I saw the gas gauge drop down below an eighth of a tank.”
“Where’s the truck located?”
Jerry grimaced and then said, “I can barely pronounce the road. It’s Chinquapin Mountain Road. The truck is about two miles south of where you found us by the pond.”
Tom scratched his chin and then rubbed his jaw as he pondered the problem. “I’ve heard of it. Where on the road did you leave the truck?”
“Right where Chinquapin crosses the powerline clear cut. It’s hidden pretty good. I’ll help you find it.”
Tom took Rick and the ladies off to the side. “That truck is only a half-mile from here. After I go up and fix the hydro-electric turbine, we’ll go fetch the truck. Rick, could you go up to the pond with me? We’ll take the pickup to haul some tools and see what needs to be done.”
