Divided We Fall_A Post-Apocalyptic Novel of America's Coming Civil War

by Mark Goodwin

  1 Corinthians 14:8

  After the service, Ava followed James and Charity to Sam Hodge’s property out near Paleface Ranch. Foley tailed behind Ava for the thirty-mile trip from Buda to Dr. Hodge’s. The route stayed well outside the metropolitan area of Austin. Alone with her thoughts about Pastor Greg’s message, Ava enjoyed the commute.

  The convoy soon arrived. Dr. Hodge’s half-mile drive was flanked on each side with a white picket fence. Scrub brush and mesquite trees masked the house from the road, but as Ava progressed further down the drive, the doctor’s grand house came into view.

  Sam Hodge and his wife, Betty, both came out to meet Ava and the others when they pulled up to the house.

  “You’ve met James,” Charity said to the doctor.

  “Yes, of course. Good to see you again. Welcome.” Hodge shook hands with James, then turned to Ava. “And who is this fine fellow?”

  Ava suddenly felt awkward at having to introduce Foley, as if the act somehow obligated her to a formal relationship. Nevertheless, she forced herself to fulfill the social expectation. “This is Foley. He used to go to church with all of us. Foley, this is Dr. Hodge.”

  “Good to meet you.” Sam Hodge shook his hand.

  “The pleasure is mine, sir,” Foley replied.

  Charity elaborated on Ava’s ho-hum introduction. “Foley got us out when Antifa raided Faith Chapel. If he hadn’t been there . . . Well, let’s just say I’m glad he was.”

  “No kidding? Then I guess I owe you one. Charity and Ava are probably my best employees. That office couldn’t run without them.” Hodge directed them toward the house. “Come on in, lunch is ready. Foley, do you shoot?”

  “A little.”

  “Oh no, don’t let him get away with that!” Charity objected. “Foley served two tours in Syria with the Army.”

  “Thank you for your service. Did you see any action?” Hodge’s eyes were open wide in anticipation.

  “More than I wanted.” Foley’s answer was succinct, indicating that it wasn’t a topic he wanted to get into at the moment. “You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Hodge.”

  “Thank you, Foley. But please, call me Betty.” The doctor’s wife served ice tea to everyone. “We have baked beans, corn on the cob, cole slaw, mashed potatoes, and rolls on the buffet. Sam has the pork in the smoker on the patio. Fill up your plates and take them outside. Sam will serve the pork. We’ve got three different kinds of BBQ sauce on the patio table; sweet, spicy, and tangy mustard.”

  After lunch, Sam Hodge stood up from the table. “Who’s ready to do some shooting?”

  Charity seemed the most excited about the activity. “Me!”

  “Let’s do it.” James stood up from the table and grabbed the case containing his shotgun.

  Ava felt nervous. The last time she’d pulled a trigger, at least one person ended up dead.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll get my gear out of my truck and meet you guys over there.” Foley stood up. “Betty, lunch was fantastic.”

  “The mound is back to the left.” Sam Hodge pointed.

  “I saw it. Thanks.” Foley smiled at Ava before leaving. “I’ll meet you over there.”

  She figured her ordeal at the bridge wasn’t nearly as bad as what Foley endured in Syria; and he seemed okay with shooting. So, Ava decided to suck it up and soldier on.

  “Thank you for the fine meal, Mrs. Hodge.” Ava followed the others as they filed off the patio. She looked at the trees as she trailed behind Dr. Hodge toward the target area. “Are those fruit trees?”

  “Yes. We’ve got plums, peaches, figs, and persimmons. I’m not much of a persimmon fan, too seedy. But the chickens sure do like them.”

  “I didn’t know you were such a farmer.” Ava glanced at her boss.

  “Betty takes care of most of that. She keeps rabbits and chickens. She raises a very nice garden on the other side of the house.”

  “Is that the Pedernales River?” Ava looked to the edge of the property.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Hodge adjusted his shooting bag on his shoulder and carried a shotgun on the other side. “Good fishing right there if you like bass and catfish.”

  “This is a nice place. You have most everything you need.”

  He nodded. “We planned it that way.”

  The shooting mound was a fourteen-foot-high pile of dirt at the back of Hodge’s property. Foley caught up with the rest of the group. He had a long tan bag, which had straps like a backpack. Foley lowered his bag to the ground and unzipped it to reveal an AR-15.

  Ava suddenly became very interested. “Pastor Greg said people should be buying those types of guns. I’ve never seen one up close.”

  Foley passed it to her. “If you’re even remotely thinking about it, you should buy one now. The election is only ten days away. If Markovich is elected, you’ll never be able to buy one again.”

  James looked the rifle over as Ava held it. “Even if he wins, he won’t take office until January. We’d still have a couple months.”

  Foley shook his head. “The market is already tight. If Markovich wins, everyone will be trying to get their hands on a battle rifle. All the stores will sell out, and the suppliers will be trying to fill back orders all the way up until Markovich signs the ban.”

  “Maybe we should buy one.” Charity put her hand on James’ arm.

  Dr. Hodge chuckled. “If Betty said that to me, I’d already have it in my shopping cart and be clicking the checkout button by now.”

  “You can’t buy a gun online.” Ava wondered if the doctor was kidding.

  Foley handed her a magazine. “It’s probably the only way you can buy a battle rifle at this stage in the game. If Ross wins, I’m sure the stores will get restocked by December, but right now, you can’t find them anywhere.”

  “Really? You just go online and buy a gun?” Charity sounded surprised.

  “You have to have it sent to an FFL who handles the transfer and runs a background check, but sure.” Foley watched Ava fidget with the magazine. “Give it a good slap to make sure it’s in securely.

  Ava followed his advice and felt a click as the magazine release engaged.

  Foley turned on the reflex sight. “Now, pull the butt up against your shoulder and keep it steady with the foregrip.”

  Ava did so. She closed her left eye and found the red crosshairs with her right.

  “You can keep both eyes open when you’re shooting with a reflex sight. That’s what it’s for. When the targets are shooting back at you, it helps to not be half-blind.”

  Ava opened her left eye again. Amazingly, she could still see the crosshairs on the target fifty feet away.

  “When you’re ready, flip off the safety right here.” Foley pointed at the selector switch. “Then squeeze the trigger. Be smooth about pulling the trigger.”

  POW! Ava lowered the gun, astonished that the gun barely kicked. “Wow. That’s nice!”

  Foley nodded. “Go ahead. Take a few more shots.”

  Ava slowly raised the gun. POW. POW. POW! She looked at the target. “I could never get that close with my Glock.”

  “No.” Foley smiled. “A rifle has a lot more accuracy. A pistol is basically for emergencies and for fighting your way to your rifle.”

  “How much does one of these cost?” Ava passed him the rifle.

  “You could get one ready to go for six or seven hundred. This one . . . was a little more. The trigger cost me three hundred.”

  “Why, what’s so special about the trigger?” Ava didn’t see anything remarkable about it.

  Foley raised the weapon, flipped the selector switch and pulled the trigger. The rifle barked out a continuous stream of shots in rapid fire. He stopped when the thirty-round magazine was empty.

  “Whoa! Is that thing legal?” Hodge looked stunned.

  Foley dug out a piece of paper from his drag bag and passed it to the doctor. “It’s a Tac-Con trigger. The trigger resets automatically after each round is fired, but it’s no
t considered full-auto by the ATF.”

  Sam Hodge inspected the ATF compliance letter. “Anybody can get one of these?”

  Foley changed magazines. “For now. After next Tuesday, who knows?”

  “Can I shoot it?” James asked. “But just regular fire?”

  “Sure.” Foley adjusted the selector and handed the rifle to James. “Semi-auto is always how you’d want to run it if you’re trying to hit a target. But, that rapid-fire setting is a good option to have in case you need to lay down suppressive fire, or happen to be in a target-rich environment.”

  James took a few shots, then let Charity try. Dr. Hodge was next. Foley let him shoot the rifle on rapid-fire.

  Afterwards, everyone practiced shooting their pistols.

  Foley gave Ava some pointers on her form. She enjoyed Foley being close to her, his hands on hers as he helped her with her grip. Within an hour, her shots were much closer together than they had been when she started.

  Once the fun was finished, everyone began packing up their weapons. Ava watched as Foley zipped up his bag. “I know you’re busy with your job and Faith House, but do you think you might have a few minutes this week to help me pick out a rifle?”

  Foley’s eyes lit up. He took a breath before he answered. “I should be able to do that, sure. Faith Chapel is shutting down the house. They’ve put the property up for sale.”

  “Oh! That’s awful.”

  “I know. But it’s like Pastor Greg said this morning. When people like Pastor Rob fall, they don’t just hurt themselves. The destruction goes on for miles. It’s not just Faith House, lots of people are getting laid off. Attendance is way down, and tithes are, also.

  “I’m trying to get as many of the guys on my work crew as possible. At least they’ll be in a safe environment during work hours.” He looked up at her with his big brown eyes as he stowed the rest of his empty magazines in his rifle bag.

  Rugged, cute, compassionate, considerate of others, Foley was everything Ava would have dreamed of—if she’d ever allowed herself to dream. She felt a gentle flutter in her chest. “Okay, I hate to run off, but I’ve got to get home to my dog.” For most people, butterflies were a sign of attraction. For Ava, they were an indication of vulnerability.

  Foley looked confused by her sudden need to leave. “Oh, sure. Can I have your number so I can call you? For the gun.”

  “Yeah, why don’t you give me yours?” Ava pulled out her phone and entered his information.

  Dr. Hodge shouldered his bag. “We’ve got this big old house. If things get rough in Austin, you’re all welcome to come out here until things settle down.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Hodge!” Charity said.

  “That goes for you also, Foley,” Hodge added. “Someone with your skill set and toolkit would be good to have around if it hits the fan.”

  “I appreciate the offer, sir.”

  Hodge called out to Ava as she walked away. “And bring Buckley if you ever have to come. It’d be nice to have a guard dog to give us a heads up if uninvited guests come around.”

  “Thank you.” She waved and picked up her pace.

  CHAPTER 23

  Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.

  Proverbs 27:9

  Ava showered Monday evening after work and walked Buckley. Next, she triaged her mail, which was mostly junk and credit card offers. One piece was not. “I guess this is the check from mom’s life insurance.” Ava sighed as she opened the envelope. Indeed, it was the check. “$150,000.” She laid the check on the counter and opened the fridge.

  She prepared a big salad for herself with apples, walnuts, chicken, and blue cheese. Buckley was rewarded with a huge chunk of chicken breast. Ava turned on the news and listened to the propaganda and inflated poll numbers which put Markovich in a double-digit lead over Ross.

  Ava sat at the counter and ate her salad with her laptop open. She searched for online gun stores and tried to find rifles that looked like Foley’s. The range in pricing was greater than she imagined. Some were only $500 while others were closer to $2000. She had no idea which brands were better, nor what to look for in features. She called Charity.

  “Hey!” Charity answered.

  “What are you doing?” Ava took a bite of her salad.

  “Watching the news. What are you doing?”

  “Looking at guns.”

  “Did you call Foley?”

  “No. What time does James get off work?”

  “Eight.”

  “I decided I want to get you guys a rifle for your wedding. It’s not the typical gift, but I’m thinking it could turn out to be the best thing I could get for you.”

  “That’s too much, Ava. I can’t accept such an extravagant gift.”

  “It’s the amount I wanted to spend anyway. Besides, I just got my mom’s life insurance check.”

  “Use it for a down payment on a house.”

  “My mom cashed out her 401K when she knew she probably wasn’t going to make it. I have all of her savings, plus I save all of my money. If I wanted a house, buying you a rifle wouldn’t stop me. But I don’t want a house. I don’t want all that stuff to take care of by myself.”

  Charity sighed. “You don’t have to be by yourself.”

  “Why don’t you and James come over? We’ll pick out some guns. I’ll buy one for me and one for you guys.”

  “We don’t know anything about guns. Call Foley.”

  “I don’t want to call Foley, that’s why I’m calling you.”

  Charity was quiet for a moment.

  “So, will you guys come over when James gets off work?”

  “Ava, I love you, but I don’t want to be your crutch. How about this? You call Foley, then James and I will come over. We’ll all get guns.”

  “I’m not calling Foley.”

  “Then we’re not coming over. Sorry, Ava.”

  “You’re not being fair to me.” Ava continued scrolling through the selections on the computer.

  “No. You’re not being fair to you. I know you like him, and I know you’re scared. You’re the bravest person I know when it comes to everything else. I get it; you have your reasons, but you need to fight through it. You’re going to have to be brave in this part of your life as well.”

  “Okay, thanks anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Ava hung up and finished her salad. Afterward, she checked out videos on how to clean her Glock. She’d bought a small cleaning kit from the gun store and the videos made it look easy enough.

  After forty minutes, she’d managed to do everything the man in the video had done in five minutes. She arranged the various parts of the deconstructed pistol and watched one section of the reassembly instructions at a time. This process, which took the man in the video less than a minute, took her twenty. And when she was finished, the trigger wouldn’t pull. Frantically, she tried to disassemble the gun again, but without being able to pull the trigger, she couldn’t.

  After an hour of trying to remedy the situation, she’d made no progress and could find no information on fixing it.

  “Oh great! Now I have no gun! The nation is on the verge of civil war, I’m surrounded by Antifa, I’ve got some crazy-looking old man stalking me, and I am totally unarmed!”

  Ava considered going to retrieve the 1911 from the bathroom ceiling in the gym. “Yeah, I’ll just walk around town with a murder weapon in my purse. Lee couldn’t even get me out of that one.”

  Ava growled at the jammed pistol, but that didn’t help either. She contemplated buying another, but it would take at least three days, even with expedited shipping. She picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She stopped at Foley’s number. She stared at it for five minutes and then walked away from the phone and the gun, leaving them both on the counter.

  She stared at Buckley who offered no help or useful advice on repairing the gun.

  Ten minutes later, she walked back to the phone, squealed i
n frustration, and dialed his number.

  “Hello?”

  “Foley, hi. It’s Ava.”

  “Oh! Hey.”

  “I was wondering if you . . . were available. To help me pick out a rifle.”

  “Um . . . Sure. I said I would.”

  “If it’s a bother . . . you don’t have to.”

  “No, it’s no trouble.”

  “Oh. ‘Cause you sounded hesitant.”

  He paused. “I said I’d help you, so I want to keep my word. But I’d like to talk to you when I get there.”

  “If it’s something awkward, maybe it’s best if you just tell me over the phone.” Ava didn’t need to hear it in person if he was still married to another woman or if he had a girlfriend.

  “Okay. But to be clear, my offer still stands to help you pick out a gun.

  After a short pause, he said, “I think you’re attractive. I know the night we met was very stressful, but even so, you acted like I’d done something to offend you.”

  “Yeah, we talked about that. I apologized.”

  “I know, at your office. You were very nice. Very, very nice. I’m not saying you led me on or anything, but I got the feeling that you may have been attracted to me. When you said that I should come check out First Church of God in Buda, it sorta felt like an invitation.

  “Then I saw you yesterday, and everything seemed like it was going good—between us. Then, all of a sudden, you ran off. I don’t know if it’s you, or if it’s something I did, but I’m getting mixed signals here. It could just be me making all this up in my head.

  “But because of my past with addiction, I have to be extra careful. I could end up liking you a lot. And if you’re not in a position to get involved—I could get hurt. I’m not saying you’re going to trigger a relapse or anything, but I don’t want to take unnecessary risks if you’re not interested or available; emotionally, that is.”

  Ava didn’t reply. She just sat and listened. In all her fear, and doubt, and mistrust, she’d never considered that Foley could also be vulnerable. She’d told him she wouldn’t hurt him, then at the first sign of being susceptible to heartbreak, she’d bolted.