by Goodwin,Mark
Minutes later, Everett heard the sound of a dog barking outside. He turned to Lloyd to see his reaction.
Lloyd stood up. “That’s Genghis, Tommy’s Rottweiler. Come on outside.”
Everett stopped at the doorway. Genghis snarled and barked, daring him to breach the threshold.
A voice called from outside. “Genghis! Get over here!”
The dog retreated and Everett carefully made his way outside. He and Kevin followed Lloyd over to a towering man, with long hair, and a long beard. Yet, very well-manicured. He wore a plaid shirt, boots, and jeans; all of which were exceptionally clean. In an era without the conveniences of stores to buy laundry soap nor electricity to run washers and dryers, it was rare to see a man so impeccable.
Everett instinctively held out his hand for Genghis to sniff. Kevin did likewise, following up the introduction with a rough pat on the head, and scratch of the neck.
Lloyd introduced them. “Tommy, this here is Everett and Kevin, acquaintances of mine.”
Tommy looked them over and seemed more trusting than the bartender had been. He offered a warm smile with his hand. “Tommy Boone. It’s a pleasure.”
Everett shook hands with the man. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Kevin also shook his hand.
Lloyd adjusted the straps of his overalls. “I need to settle up with these boys. I owe them a tank of gas.”
Tommy worked the crank on the BBQ trailer, to raise the stand so he could unhitch it from his truck. “Tank of gas? That’s big money, Lloyd. I hope you didn’t lose it in a poker game.”
“Now you know I gave up poker, Tommy.”
Tommy laughed. “After losing for three years straight. I just want to make sure you didn’t fall off the wagon. It ain’t none of my business no how. You can follow me in their truck on out to the house.” Tommy looked up at Everett. “We’ll be back in twenty or thirty minutes.”
Everett stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’d rather not be separated from my truck.”
“Take Lloyd’s keys. He ain’t going nowhere with your truck. I’m sure you understand, we just met and I can’t have you comin’ out to my place.”
“I fully understand, but I’m sure you appreciate my position,” Everett replied.
“I do, but I ain’t the one wantin’ gas.”
Lloyd held his hands up. “I reckon the problem is you don’t want to let your cargo out of your sight. How ‘bout I give you my keys to the van and you keep your belongin’s there ‘til we get back?”
Kevin looked at Everett and nodded. “I think that sounds fair.”
“Good enough.” Everett smiled.
Tommy rested his arm on the back of his truck bed. “Now y’all have done got me curious as to what ol’ Lloyd here could want so bad. I’ve never seen him try so hard to put a deal together.”
Lloyd began walking toward his van. “We can discuss that when we get back. Let’s get movin’, Tommy.”
They soon had everything from the F-150 loaded into Lloyd’s van. While all the weapons had some type of case, it was obvious that the cargo consisted of guns and ammo.
Tommy whistled and Genghis jumped in the bed of the truck. He then pulled away, followed by Lloyd, who was driving the Ford.
“Think we can trust them?” Everett asked.
Kevin started walking back toward the sliding door on the barn. “If they wanted to rob us, we’d already be dead.”
They returned to the table inside to wait for Tommy and Lloyd to come back.
Everett looked at the men sitting at the bar. “I bet this place is hopping at night.”
“Hottest place in town.” Kevin adjusted his hat and leaned back in his chair.
Everett leaned in close to whisper. “I’d like to meet some of these guys driving the supply trucks.”
Kevin also kept the volume of his voice low. “We might not have to. Let’s see where the conversation goes when Tommy gets back. I say the less people we meet, the better. And I think Tommy could be pretty close to the top of the food chain around here.”
Everett nodded. “Okay, let’s see how it plays out.”
Lloyd and Tommy were back in less than a half an hour, just as they’d said. Lloyd walked in and tossed Everett the keys to the F-150. “Mind if we settle up?”
Everett stood. “Sure thing.”
The four of them walked outside. Everett checked his gas gauge then retrieved Lloyd’s revolver. He and Kevin returned the rest of their items to the truck.
Tommy leaned against the F-150. “You willing to trade for the rest of your merchandise in there?”
Everett rubbed his chin. “That’s why we brought it.”
“What are you lookin’ for?” Tommy inquired.
“We need two years of storable food for five people,” Kevin said firmly.
Tommy’s mouth was hidden by his thick black beard, but his eyes showed that he was smiling in amusement. “You fellas got some prized products from what Lloyd tells me, but that’s a tall order. Most folks, least the ones we come by, have got some form of defense. But, nobody is willing to give them up, and everybody seems to want just one more, creating a very high demand on an extremely scarce commodity. Now, that’s good for you. But, as it happens, food is also hard to come by, especially if you ain’t willin’ to take the Mark.
“Would you mind if I had a look at what you have? I doubt I can help you out that much, but I’d sure love to make you an offer.”
Everett dropped the tailgate. “Sure.”
Kevin pulled the cases back out of the truck and brought them to the bed to open them up. “I didn’t mean to insinuate that we thought these few little pieces would be worth two years of food for five people.”
Everett first presented the two remaining pistols to Tommy, since Lloyd had, no doubt, already told him about them.
Tommy looked the Springfield XD over. “You got extra magazines for this?”
“Nope, but I got plenty of ammo for it.” Everett stacked up five boxes of ammo with fifty rounds each.
Kevin unzipped the soft rifle case and took out the two pump-action 12 gauge shotguns. “We’ve got ammo for these also.”
Everett waited for Tommy to hand him back the XD before opening the hard rifle case. He flipped the tabs and lifted the top, revealing the AR-15. Kevin had installed a flashlight, forward grip, reflex sight, and back-up sights to make it look more appealing than a stripped down model. Five extra magazines were also laid out next to the rifle.
Tommy picked it up and held it up to check the reflex site. “So I think I understand where you’re driving with what you’re lookin’ to get, but bein’ the cautious fella that I am, I’d just as soon let you spell it out.”
Everett looked at Lloyd who was loading his new pistol. “If we could get solid information about the location of that amount of food that was relatively easy-to-access, say on a Global Republic truck, or a Global Republic warehouse, I think that information would be worth a gun or two.”
“Hmm.” Tommy laid the rifle back down on the foam padding inside the case and picked up one of the magazines to examine. “And you’d be doing all the work yourself?”
“Yep, we just need the when and where.” Everett took the magazine as Tommy handed it back to him. “Unless . . .”
“Unless I’m interested in a joint venture?” Tommy stroked his beard.
Kevin nodded. “Exactly.”
Tommy looked up at the sky as he continued to stroke his beard. “Let’s say I could get information on an unescorted semi, and let’s say y’all came along and I had a few boys with me. Suppose we stop the truck and you carry off two pickups full of goods, and suppose me and my boys carry off the rest. You think that’d be worth all these guns here and the ammo you’ve got there?”
Everett looked at Kevin. “I think it’d be worth a rifle. You seem to like that black one. And maybe a pistol.”
Kevin added, “And the ammo and magazines for the rifle.”
To
mmy looked at the two shotguns, seeming to not want to leave any money on the table. “Let’s suppose we could provide a safe location to load your groceries. Somewhere away from the place where we actually, shall we say, commandeered the tractor trailer. Would that add enough value to the deal for the shotguns, the other two pistols and the rest of the ammo?”
Everett looked at Kevin again. “Would we have first dibs on which groceries we took?”
Tommy slowly agreed with a slight nod.
Kevin looked pleased with the agreement. “I like it, but I’d like to be clear. We’re not looking for two pickups full of beans and rice. That could be part of it, but that’s not my ideal diet. And like we said before, it has to be storable food. Canned food, MREs, dry goods.”
Tommy stuck his hand out. “I understand. We’ll make it happen. I’m having a BBQ tomorrow night for all the folks who have been coming out to the Grey Fox. I’m going to announce that we’re moving the Fox to a place out on Cedar Creek Grade. I want to put some distance between the Fox and town before the amnesty period is up. Why don’t you boys come on back out tomorrow?”
Everett asked, “Do you think you’d have some details for us tomorrow night?”
“No, I’m hopin’ the right fellas will be here tomorrow night and I can start workin’ on ‘em. I can have it all ironed out by this time next week.”
Kevin crossed his hands on the back of the truck. “Then would it be all right if we come out to the new location, say next Friday?”
Tommy nodded. “That would be just fine. Lloyd, do you think you can draw these boys a map to the new place?”
“Sure thing, Tommy.”
Once it was finished, Everett looked over the map that Lloyd had drawn for them. Everett wanted to make sure they understood his less-than-perfect representations of roads and landmarks. Then they headed back to the cabin.
CHAPTER 11
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Revelation 6:9-11
It was early evening when Everett and Kevin returned home. Courtney, Sarah, and Elijah all came around, from the back of the cabin, to greet them.
Courtney brushed the dirt off of her hands and the front of her jeans then gave Everett a quick hug. “You’re home early. How did it go?”
He gave her a peck on the cheek. “Better than we could have ever expected. You’ll never guess who we ran into.”
Courtney paused for a moment, as if she were trying to think of who it could possibly be. She shook her head slowly. “I haven’t got a clue. Tell me.”
“Scratchy!”
“Who?”
“Scratchy! The guy we bought gas from, in Winchester. Well, his name is actually Lloyd.”
Courtney put her hands on her hips. “No way!”
“Yeah. Turns out, he’s a moonshiner and seems to be pretty well connected with the Winchester underground. He took us to meet the guy.”
Courtney lifted her chin to glare at Everett. “Now there’s a term you don’t hear every day, Winchester underground. Is this a formalized crime syndicate, or just a loosely associated smattering of ne’er-do-wells?”
Kevin chuckled. “I didn’t see any insignia or logos. The latter is probably the more accurate description. Either way, they’re all opposed to the Global Republic and are willing to do whatever is necessary to avoid taking the Mark.”
Sarah leaned against the truck. “They don’t sound like they miss the old government too badly either.”
Elijah chuckled. “Do you?”
Sarah shrugged. “I guess the GR is just the natural progression of the old guard. So, let’s cut to the chase. I don’t see any supplies. Were you guys able to cut a deal?”
Everett nodded then proceeded to catch them up on the proposed agreement they’d hammered out with Tommy.
Courtney looked concerned. “Next Friday? The amnesty period ends on Monday. That sounds very risky.”
Kevin opened the back door of the truck and began unloading. “We’ll listen to the local hams that are still talking. We can gather enough information to figure out how heavy the patrols are after the amnesty period. If it’s not safe, we won’t go. But I agree with Everett. I think this is our best shot at rounding out our food storage.”
Courtney looked over at Elijah. “What do you think?”
“Times are about as easy as they are ever going to be. The GR isn’t going to lighten up, and supplies are not going to become any more readily available than they are now. If you feel reasonably comfortable about these people, you should probably make hay while the sun shines.”
“So, is that like your prophetic seal of approval for the mission?” Courtney crossed her arms.
“I’m not a fortune teller, nor do I have a crystal ball. When the Lord speaks, he speaks, and when he is silent, you must depend on wisdom, prayer and providence. I think what Kevin has suggested is wise. Listen to the radio and see what the situation is with the patrols. And pray. Ask God to direct your path. You have to learn to hear from God for yourself. I will not always be with you. Besides, he wants you to come to him directly. He doesn’t want you coming through me. Many sheep have been led astray by false shepherds. Oh, the heartache that could have been spared if the children of God had learned to draw near and listen to the Good Shepherd himself.”
Everett understood what Elijah was saying. God wanted Everett and the others dependent on him alone. And that was their true test of faith.
Saturday was spent working on the garden beds and constructing the storage shed addition for the remaining items that Kevin and Sarah had brought, which were not being taken to the cave. Since the entire property was sloped, they used logs as low retaining walls to terrace the garden, providing an even surface, so the rain wouldn’t wash away the top soil and seeds. Elijah provided them with seeds to plant. They focused on lettuces and things that would produce with minimal sunlight, in the event that the anticipated ash cloud should darken the sky for a prolonged period.
With Elijah’s instructions, Everett put together a rudimentary compost bin, filling it with the leaves from the forest floor, as they were already in the process of decomposing and had the necessary organisms to decompose other organic material the group would add to the bin. Once fully broken down, the dirt from the compost bin would be used to keep the garden beds topped off, providing the optimum nutrition for the plants that might be struggling to grow in low sunlight.
On Sunday, they rested. Elijah came by the cabin to lead a Bible study. Kevin and Sarah decided to tie the knot, but had no desire to make a fuss over the ceremony. Elijah facilitated an exchange of vows between them and pronounced them man and wife. Afterwards, Everett and Courtney pulled out all the stops to make a nice dinner in celebration, and Courtney made a cake from their dry storage food.
Everett woke up early Monday morning, feeling rested and renewed. He and Courtney had breakfast, letting the newlyweds sleep in. After breakfast, Everett and Courtney went outside to work on the garden. Low clouds hung over the mountain.
Everett began making rows of shallow holes with his finger then filling them with the various seeds from the heirloom spring mix. “I just felt the first drop of rain.”
“Then I guess we better hurry.” Courtney was following Everett, covering each hole and patting the dirt down so the seeds wouldn’t wash away or be an easy meal for birds.
“I’m glad we’re far enough from DC to not be under Elijah’s curse.”
Courtney continued diligently covering the holes and patting the dirt. “Yeah, I wonder how large of a ra
dius isn’t going to get rain?”
Everett moved faster as he felt more drops of rain, coming more frequently.
Twenty minutes later, the rain had grown to a steady drizzle. Courtney stood. “I give up. I’m getting wet, let’s go inside. We’ve finished everything but that last small section.”
Everett followed her toward the house. “Okay, let’s go.”
Once inside, the two of them climbed up to the loft to put on dry clothes then returned down to the kitchen to find Kevin making coffee.
“You guys want a cup?” Kevin measured out the grounds into the old blue speckled percolator.
“No thanks. Looks like it’s going to rain all day. I can’t get much done, so I was planning to take a nap.” Everett took a seat at the kitchen table.
“Sarah and I could go over some maneuvers with you guys that could up your combat game. We can train with empty weapons, so we could do it inside. It would keep the day from being a complete waste and you’d be better prepared when we go back to Winchester, or whenever the need arises.” Kevin held the coffee pot in his hand as if he were waiting for Everett to change his mind.
Courtney stuck her finger in the air. “I’ll take you up on that.”
Kevin turned toward her. “The training or the coffee?”
“Both.”
Kevin put another scoop of grounds in the top chamber. “Everett? Last chance.”
