by A. American
“Keep your eyes open, boys and girls,” Mike said, scanning the parking lot.
Taylor looked at him, then at his weapon. Slowly, not knowing what to expect by doing so, she raised the H&K, resting the muzzle on the rear gate. Lee Ann quickly followed suit. In the mirror, I saw Little Bit leaning over the seat, smiling at Mike, who was oblivious with his eyes focused on the lot.
The parking lot was a loop road, coming in toward a concession stand at the edge of the swimming area. As I approached the store, Ted told me to stop. He wanted him and Mike to take a look.
“Keep it running,” Mike said as they walked toward the building, weapons at the ready.
They approached it, looking in the windows. Mike waited outside while Ted went in. He wasn’t gone two minutes when he reemerged, saying something to Mike. They quickly started to move back to the truck. Mike was walking backward watching the building as Ted moved forward, his head constantly scanning.
“What’s up?” I asked as he got to the truck.
“Someone’s living in there, but they’re not in there. They’re either watching us right now or they’re out. Either way, I don’t like it.”
“There’s a camp loop over there; we can go over there and get one of those tables. We passed it coming in.” I pointed behind us.
“Can you back the trailer to it?”
“Oh, hell yeah.”
“All right.” Ted looked at Mike and patted the hood. “Jump on.”
They hopped up on the hood and I began backing the rig toward the campsites. In the mirror I saw Taylor looking forward. “Keep an eye out back; they’ve got the front.” She quickly jerked her head around, gripping the H&K. At the loop, I backed into the road so that the truck would be facing the right direction if we needed to haul ass out of there.
Stopping the truck between two campsites, I jumped out and dropped the rear gate. The campsites, once kept so clean, were littered with leaves and fallen branches.
Mike and Ted moved toward the site, weapons ready, and cleared it.
“Little Bit, you stay in the truck. You two get out and keep an eye out for people.”
As Lee Ann and Taylor were getting out, Little Bit complained, “I wanna get out! I can help watch!”
“You keep watch from in there.” She rested her chin on the top of the backseat with a frown on her face.
Mike and Ted were already moving one of the aluminum tables toward the trailer. As soon as it was on, they went for another one. They had just set the edge of it on the trailer when Little Bit shouted.
“Daddy, I see someone!”
The guys dropped the table, bringing their weapons up.
“You two watch that way!” I shouted, pointing to the rear of the truck.
Ted and Mike advanced to the front of the truck. I came up behind Mike as Ted shouted, “Let me see your hands!”
The man stopped, taking his hands out of his jacket pockets and raising them. “Don’t mean no harm!” He shouted, “Just haven’t seen anyone in a long time!”
“All right, keep coming till I tell you to stop!”
At a ten-foot distance Ted told him to stop. He was wearing a worn fleece vest and what looked like typical hiking pants, though they were threadbare in some places. A shaggy beard obscured most of his face.
“Hi.”
Ted nodded in reply. “What can we do for you?” Mike asked.
Scratching at his beard, the man said, “Like I said, just haven’t seen anyone in a long time.” He paused, looking at the truck and trailer. “Getting some tables?”
“Yep,” Ted said, looking down the barrel of his M4.
“You guys got a camp around here?”
“Nope. You alone?”
“Oh yeah. There were a bunch of people here, but most of them left. Some said they were going to walk home, but a few of them came back.”
“Where are they now?”
“Oh, FEMA came through one day and pretty much everyone went with them.”
“Why didn’t you go?” Mike asked.
“Oh, me, I’m not a real people person. I was hiking the Florida Trail and figured I’d just keep going. Once everyone left, it was kinda quiet around here, so I stayed. People left all sorts of stuff, so I took what I needed. There’s canoes here, fish in the river and other food, if you know what you’re looking for.”
A black dog came trotting out of the woods and stopped beside the man, sitting down and scratching at his ear. The man looked down and smiled. “That’s Drake. He keeps me company.”
“It’s been good talking to you, but we gotta go,” Ted said.
The man looked up, running his hand through his beard, and smiled. “Oh, sure, no worries.” He waved, turned and walked away.
“Strange little man,” Mike said.
“Yeah, he’s a sammich short of a picnic, I think,” I said.
Ted kept watch while Mike and I loaded the other table. We were strapping it down when Taylor walked up. “Are we okay? Is he gone?”
“Yeah, he’s gone, nothing to worry about. He’s just some dude living in the woods.”
“He scared me.”
“Someone showing up like that could be a bad thing. That’s why you two were supposed to be watching for it, not watching us. It’s a good thing Little Bit spotted him.”
“I know, we messed up.”
“No, you didn’t. If it had gone a different way, then yeah, you would’ve messed up.” I smiled at her. “Get your sister so we can head back.”
The trip back was uneventful. Pulling the truck around the cabin, we saw the boat tied up on the bank. Danny and Jeff were working with Thad on some sort of small thatched hut. We unloaded the two tables in the grass between it and the creek, setting them end to end.
I walked over to where they working while Ted and Mike went off to find Sarge.
“What’s this?”
“It’s gonna be our smokehouse,” Thad said with a big smile on his face.
“Cool, I like it. Where’d you find the cane?”
“There’s a big stand of it just down the creek, right over there,” Jeff said, pointing into the woods.
“Nice, we can use it for a lot of stuff.”
“I’m going to get more palmettos,” Danny said as he walked off into the woods.
The smoker was a large teepee-like hut that used the cane for the structure, the sides covered with palmettos. Horizontal pieces of cane were tied to the uprights and the stems of the palmettos were woven in between. At the corners of the frame, the tips of the fronds were folded in around the pole to seal it.
“Hey, Thad, is there enough of this stuff to make a chicken coop out of?” I asked.
He was on his knees, weaving in palmettos. “Oh yeah.”
We worked on the smoker for another couple of hours to finish off the outside. Thad went to clean the fish, while Danny and I went off to find some oak and hickory for the fire.
“Did you hear about the National Guard unit we found?” Danny asked.
Surprised, I asked, “No, where’d you find them?”
“They’re at the campground by the swimming hole. Got a bunch of people with them too.”
“No shit.” I caught myself and looked at Little Bit, but she was busy with the dogs and didn’t hear my slip. “Where are they from?”
“It’s a unit from Eustis.”
“Really. Did you go into the camp?”
“Yeah, it’s crowded but they had it put together pretty nice.”
“You remember my buddy Vance? Did you see him there?”
“I remember him, but I didn’t see him there.”
“He was with them when they were still in Eustis. What made them move?”
Danny stopped and grabbed the end of a large limb blown out of an oak tree. I grabbed the other an
d we lifted it up and shouldered it.
“They said there were too many people and that the feds kept coming in and taking stuff from them. They got tired of it and bugged out.”
We carried the log over to the smoker and dropped it. Thad was cleaning the last of the fish.
“You know how to keep the fire in that thing?” I asked.
“Yeah, I got this.” He dropped a fileted mullet into a bucket. “You wanna take that to Mel so she can start on her stew?”
I picked up the bucket. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“All I need is a chainsaw and axe to cut up that wood.”
“Under the cabin on the left.”
Thad smiled and headed for the smoker with a bowl heaped with filets.
• • •
Thad sat in a chair beside his smoker. He craved activity, anything to keep his mind busy. It was those idle times he dreaded. Sleep was the worst. Luckily being here gave him the chance to work and keep his memories at bay.
He’d found a stump and placed it on the ground in front of the chair. Using the axe, he broke up the piece of oak into chunks small enough to feed the little fire in the smoker. He peeked in at the fire as smoke poured out around his face. Satisfied, he walked over to the picnic tables. Jeff was sitting on top of one and he climbed up beside him.
“What’s up, big ’un?” Jeff asked.
“Nothin’, what’re you doin’?”
“Just watching the river. It’s peaceful.”
Thad looked out at the water, its lazy current causing lilies to sway back and forth. “Yes it is.”
“I like it here better than where we were,” Jeff said.
“Them cabins ain’t as comfortable, but this place is a lot nicer.”
Thad asked about the trip down the river and Jeff told him about the Guard unit they’d found.
“Huh, I bet that old man is going to start some shit with someone soon,” Thad said.
“I would imagine. He was already starting to plan something. I don’t know what, but from the way they acted, they’ve got something cooking.”
Staring out at the water, Thad said, “I don’t want no part of it.” Jeff looked over and Thad continued, “I’ve seen enough killin’, I just want to be left alone.”
“I can dig it. I don’t know, though, if something kicks off I may go with them.”
Thad looked over and smiled. “Have fun.”
Jeff laughed. “I don’t know about fun, but sitting around just isn’t my thing. I wanna do something.”
“Careful what you wish for.” Thad looked over again. “You just might get it.”
“Life without adventure is a waste of oxygen,” Jeff said, smiling.
Thad looked around, holding his arms out. He said, “All this ain’t enough adventure for you?”
Laughing, Jeff replied, “Okay, you got a point there.”
“Thad?” a little voice called from behind. He turned to see Little Bit holding palmetto stems and string.
“What’cha need, little one?”
“You know how to make a bow and arrow?”
He smiled as he stood up. “I was the best bow-and-arrow maker in my neighborhood.” Little Bit smiled and held out the stems and string.
“Come on, let’s go make you a bow.” Thad found a limb and carried it back to the table. Little Bit hopped up on top of it and sat down. Thad pulled out the big Bowie and started cutting branches off the limb.
“Wow, that’s a big knife!” Little Bit said.
Thad looked at the knife. “Yeah, it’s sharp too.”
She reached in her pocket and pulled out a little Uncle Henry folder. “This is my knife; my Daddy gave it to me. It’s got two blades.”
Thad smiled, looking at the big blade in his hands. “Your daddy gave me this one too.” He strung the bow and pulled back on it. Satisfied, he handed it to her. “Be careful.”
She took the bow and ran toward the river. “Thanks, Thad, I will!”
Jeff called out, “You know how to shoot that thing?”
She stopped and fixed one of the palmetto stems to the string, drew it back and let it go. The green stem flew about twenty feet and stuck in the ground. “Cool!” she cried out, jumping up and down.
Thad looked at Jeff. “I guess she does.”
Mel and Bobbie came out of the cabin carrying a large pot and set it on the fire pit. Little Bit ran up with her bow. “Look what Thad made for me.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Be careful, baby.”
“Hope you don’t mind,” Thad said.
“Not at all; her dad makes them for her all the time.”
Thad smiled, but it faded quick. “I use to make them for Tony. He was always an Indian, never a cowboy.”
Mel smiled at him. “Hey, this will be ready in a few hours. I’ll just have to keep an eye on the fire.”
“What’s in it?” Jeff asked, spinning around on the table.
“It’s got the fish, some dehydrated stuff, potatoes, carrots, celery, rice and some spices. It should be edible,” Bobbie said, then added, “I hope.”
“Sounds good to me, can’t wait.”
Mel looked over at the smoker. “Is that thing working?”
Thad smiled. “Full of smoke. It’s working.”
“I’ve never had smoked mullet before. What’s it taste like?” Bobbie asked.
Thad smiled. “Kinda like smoked manatee.”
Bobbie gave him a goofy look and headed for her cabin.
Chapter 26
Mike and Ted found Sarge sitting with Doc in the cabin. Sarge was talking into the handset with someone.
“What’s up?” Mike asked Doc.
“He found a Guard unit out in the woods.”
“No shit! All we found was some crazy dude in the woods.”
Doc stared at him. “I don’t even want to know.”
“You get that water filter up and running, Doc?”
“Yeah, Morgan had it set up pretty good; it’s on the steps of his place. You guys get those tables?”
“Yeah, two of them.”
Sarge laid the handset down. “All right, ladies, we got work to do.”
“Good, I’m gettin’ bored,” Ted said, throwing his feet up on the table. “What’s up?”
“Doc told you we found a Guard unit. They’re in rough shape and need some help. I just got off the horn with the colonel, and it took some work, but he agreed to send out some goodies for them.” Sarge tossed a notepad to Ted. “Their call sign’s White Four Delta. Get ’em on the horn. Use the frequency I wrote under their call sign.”
“Are we getting anything out this?” Mike asked.
Sarge smiled. “Oh yeah, milk and cookies.” Mike shook his head.
“White Four Delta, Stump Knocker.” Ted repeated the call.
“Go, Stump Knocker.”
Ted handed Sarge the handset. “White Four Delta, you have an LZ prepped?”
There was a pause on the other end. “Negative, Stump Knocker, but we will, what’s the ETA on the bird?”
“Oh six hundred tomorrow.”
“Roger oh six hundred tomorrow. We’ll be ready for it.”
“We’re coming in at oh five hundred. See you then. Stump Knocker out.” Sarge laid the handset down, looking up at the men. “We’ve got ourselves a force now.”
“How many men they got?” Mike asked.
“Fifty odd, oh, and one marine.”
Ted laughed. “Well, shit, that’s as good as a hundred, then, ain’t it?”
“I wish we had a hundred marines; we could take over the state of Florida.”
“So they’re sending a bird in with some supplies, then what?”
“Once we get them settled they are going to accompany us on a little mission.”
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“Which is?” Mike asked.
“Colonel wants us to seize the camp and hold it. They are hitting FEMA camps all over the country.”
“What’s the problem with the camps?” Doc asked.
Sarge rocked back in his chair. “They aren’t being run for the benefit of the people in them. Once you go in, you can’t leave them. They’re basically prison camps at this point. They use the people inside for labor and are going around the countryside near them taking anything they can find. And from what I was told, people that don’t go along with the program are executed. They’re also snatching people from their homes and forcing them to go.”
“Shit. What about Morgan and his folks here?” Ted asked.
“We need to have a talk with them, but we don’t need their help and I’d rather they stay out of this, personally. There’s enough of them here now that they can take care of themselves.”
“I agree.”
“Let’s go have a powwow with ’em.”
“Wait and do it around dinnertime; everyone will be together then,” Doc said.
“All right, that’s a better idea. In the meantime, I’m gonna take a nap. Mike, can you keep an eye on the radios for a while?”
“Sure, boss. I got it.”
Sarge went to his bunk and lay down fully dressed, leaning his rifle in the corner by his head. Mike settled in behind the radios, checking the settings and getting comfortable. Doc and Ted decided Sarge was on to something and stretched out as well.
Mike was thankful for the headset, otherwise the snoring would have driven him nuts. He occupied his time by thumbing through the HAM frequencies looking for civilian traffic. As he scanned through the bands, he picked up numerous conversations. What stuck him the most was how normal many of them were. He listened for a moment as a man in Kansas asked other farmers for tractor parts. Maybe things are getting back to normal, Mike thought.
On the small folding table were three different radios, the big military unit they brought with them and the two HAM sets Sarge had. They strung the antennas for the two HAM rigs in a big pine tree outside the cabin, as high as they could. The military radio used different technology altogether and didn’t require an antenna be placed outside. It was always kept on the same frequency used to talk back to the brass in north Florida.
