Beyond The Burning Shore: Searching For Survival

by Ron Foster

  “Wish it had a beer in it for you, Hogan, but we’re all out.” Dixon said wading into the water to shake Hogan’s hand and welcome him back.

  Marylyn waded in also and they shoved the heavily laden boat to shore laughing about comments regarding Hogan’s extra crew member boat ornament.

  “You doing all right?” Hogan asked looking into the couple’s tired faces.

  “We are getting by. We sort of got them big boy neighbors of yours working with us. Got one of them pulling security and supposed to be watching us and this trotline over there.” Dixon said pointing back towards the apartment buildings.

  “He will probably go tell Nimrod and all them Hulkster boys will be down here. Did you plan on sharing that deer, Hogan?” Marylyn asked looking skeptical.

  “It is you and Dixon’s deer. Do what you want with it but we want some of the back strap for dinner.” Hogan said reserving some of the choice cut for themselves.

  “I shot it!” Annie said proudly and received hearty congratulations.

  “Here come the Hulksters.” Dixon said and went to talk to them.

  In a few moments, two young men came down and carried off the deer back to their apartment where they were supposed to start cleaning it.

  “Those two been deer hunting before but don’t have any guns.” Dixon confided.

  “Is our stuff ok?” Hogan asked glad to be able to hurry up and ask that question and wondering what Dixon had said to the group that made them not want to stick around and socialize.

  “ Oh your vehicles are fine! Just as you left them. Told you we would look out for you.” Dixon said with pride.

  “What did you say to Nimrod that got him and some of his boys to go home?” Annie asked noting the odd behaviors.

  “Oh, they are good boys but they aren’t used to thinking for themselves.” Dixon began before Marylyn cut him off.

  “Actually what they are, is a group of Larry’s in search of a Moe! Dixon has fun bunching them up when he wants.” Marylyn said before allowing Dixon to continue.

  Dixon chuckled and said that they were like a bunch of chickens. All you had to do is throw a little scratch feed in one direction and you could get the whole bunch moving in that direction.

  He advised everyone he just told Nimrod to get ready to clean, guard and cook the deer and he had taken charge and grabbed everyone except the two boys that had carried the deer off to do all that.

  “He did that with two squirrels last week he shot.” Marylyn said chuckling.

  “Ha! They are easy to mess with but I consider it being efficient. They do the group effort or team thing well.” Dixon said smiling wickedly.

  “Well, you know there are more Indians in this world than chiefs.” Annie said smiling.

  “That is a lot of mouths to feed.” Hogan said wondering how they were managing to get by.

  “So far we are doing ok. They all had a bunch of protein powder and supplements and stuff and they been living on that and the fish we catch.” Marylyn said.

  “There are a few wild greens around here I remember eating from being a boy and me and Marylyn have been adding them to the pot. We are all starving but we are eating.” Dixon said.

  “Me and Annie aren’t hanging around. We decided it was time to make the big trip and are going to be taking off.” Hogan said solemnly.

  “Dang you just got here.” Dixon objected.

  “You can stay at least a da,y can’t you?” Marylyn said looking upset.

  “No, I think it will be better to go now. We are going to pack the vehicles and hang around an hour or so and get moving while we have lots of daylight to travel. Its only 3 hours to where we are going and Hogan is worried about his stuff.” Annie said helping break the news of their departure.

  “Well, you will be home way before sundown then if you don’t run into any problems on the road.” Dixon said looking a bit crestfallen they weren’t going to stay around long for a visit.

  “Wow, three hours by interstate isn’t that far if the roads are clear enough to drive normal speeds.” Marylyn said studying them.

  “Hopefully we can do 65, if not who knows as long as we get there. Hey, if gas gets flowing again some kind of way maybe we can visit each other.” Annie said and then regretted it.

  “You give us your address before you go and maybe we see each other someday.” Dixon said not really knowing what to say. Everybody knew that was a slim to none chance of ever happening.

  “Yea we will do that. Hey Dixon walk up to the parking lot with me while I get my van. I want you to go tell Nimrod that Hunters choice says we get the back strap tenderloin. You sure them boys know what they’re doing cleaning that deer?” Hogan said.

  “Oh yea they can do it just fine. Two of them goomers were studying at the Atlanta Culinary Institute. Imagine that! We got would be apocalyptic food chefs with some talents in cooking. Not much they can practice on but fish.” Dixon said as they left Marylyn and Annie behind to talk and guard the gear.

  “Get them to try their hand at that clay baked fish thing. You know the one where you use real clay to coat the fish and bake it in the coals like a pot.” Hogan suggested.

  “Now that’s an idea, I forgot about that bit of wood lore. I have been teaching them things best I can on what I call country living but we got a ways to go yet.” Dixon said stopping to show Hogan the garden he and the Hulksters had dug up.

  “How’s you and Marylyn’s health doing? Are you two holding up ok? Wow, Dixon, you have done a lot of work here! How hard was it to get them jackasses to dig all this up?” Hogan said looking at about a 200 x 15 foot swath of dirt.

  “That ain’t the only garden around here, there are two more and they are all basically community gardens with a few private sub sections.” Dixon said with a knowing grin.

  “What are you using for seed?” Hogan asked incredulously.

  “Well pretty much a little of this and a whole lot of that. You see more folks have tried to grow themselves tomatoes on their back porch around here than we thought. Got a lot of green thumbs living around here and I will tell you more about them later. Most of them patio gardeners always bought transplants to grow in pots but a few people have seeds of this or that from trying it that way too. When me and Marylyn went to get them pots from Annie’s apartment, we started studying what was on everybody else’s patio and came up with a plan. The first thing we did was carry a mess of fresh fish we had caught over to the Hulksters as a means to call parlay. I told them me and Marylyn had some business to discuss. That was quite a surprise to them, what surprised them even more was I was toting my shotgun and Marylyn had her Police special .38 revolver stuffed in her waistband with the handle butt hanging out.” Dixon said describing what was called the first official meeting of the Hulkster club.

  “Hang on a minute, Dixon, and stand around and talk to me a few minutes before we get around them boys. I want to hear more of this story first. So what did they think of you all open carrying guns at first?” Hogan asked very curious of the athletics boys reactions to a shotgun carrying old man and a gun carrying wife walking up to them and saying “here’s some fish” let’s parlay like an old western movie depicted settlers trading with Indians.

  “The guns made them nervous and one of them asked were we having any trouble but mostly they acted like I just met them on the beach for the first time. I told them about our plan to get them to help me set out and guard the trotline and that I was a good fisherman and provider if luck and fate blessed me and Marilyn. They could see for themselves that fine mess of fish I gave them was a good catch but not enough for all of us to eat our fill and I needed some protection from those that might want to eat those and had none for themselves or even a means of catching any.” Dixon explained.

  “That shouldn’t of been too hard to sell them on that notion, we discussed that earlier.” Hogan said.

  “You were right, Hogan. They saw the sense in that real clearly right from the get go. They agreed to stand
night watch on the trotline as well as escort me and Marilynn around as need be as backup security.” Dixon said.

  “Well to make a long story short, you remember I told you me and Marylyn got to studying who had vegetable or herb plants on their balconies and patios… I told Nimrod we needed to start a company using my brains and his muscles.” Dixon said chuckling.

  “You didn’t! What did he say to that?” Hogan said in true co-conspirator fashion.

  “Well he listened and he agreed and we started the Acme Protection Service. Him and the boys call it “apps” for short like a program or something that goes on a phone or computer and me and Marylyn call it “Apes” like a primate you’re toilet training to go on a newspaper.” Dixon said with a loud guffaw.

  “That’s funnier than hell! So what do you have the Grape Apes doing these days to keep them busy?” Hogan asked snickering.

  “Well, I grabbed me a gaggle of goons and went soliciting for our new business door to door but that didn’t work out too well. You see Me and Marylyn as the spokespeople for the new company would go knock on a door we saw that had the growing things on the porch and introduce ourselves. We would say “Dear Sir or Madam, nice to see you today… We want to tell you about a cooperative we started regarding vegetable plants and protection. Well I know you are in a hurry so I won’t list you many details but it was hard enough to get someone to open the door to us as old people and when they did and saw our guard dogs with us they thought we were on an extortion mission or something. One woman with a big tomato plant on her patio slammed the door in Marylyn’s face and told her to just take the plant and don’t hurt her after seeing them stick wielding boys. Well scaring the hell out of folks wasn’t our intent so we changed tact and called a meeting of the apartment complex which wasn’t easy to do for obvious reasons like not being able to print flyers and already freaking people out by knocking on doors unannounced but we eventually managed it.” Dixon said remembering what a chore that was.

  “I went down and busted in the complex business office and at the appointed day and time any resident that was aware of the meeting and wanted to come, appeared there. Marylyn, Me, and the boys all put on our Sunday best to go to the meeting. By the way, what some of them boys think is Sunday best might surprise you. Anyway, I got up there and I put the bully pulpit on them.” Dixon said.

  Author note: A bully pulpit is a conspicuous position that provides an opportunity to speak out and be listened to. This term was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt, who referred to the White House as a "bully pulpit", by which he meant a terrific platform from which to advocate an agenda.

  “Gain, There is nothing to be gained here, Hogan. Only a chance to live in a more civil society by choice and cooperation. People need structure be it from religion, politics, threats of retribution or criminal penalties or whatever. Structure is the key, they seek governance and direction and a peoples movement is sometimes called a grassroots agenda. It was very simple to lay it out and not get shouted down with all that muscle I had in back of me to say “Listen up folks”. You are going to die, we are all going to die if we don’t cooperate and try to do something to help ourselves. Now anyone that got worried when we tried to go door to door to talk to you, don’t worry. We are not trying to strong arm you into any decision. The reason the meeting was called was because no one should have any fears of growing a garden and being robbed and one Dixon P. Stone was here to get them to sign up for the solution! I told them all young and old we had to get us up a seed inventory and get it into the ground here and now. I explained to them that anyone who didn’t want to be a member of the Co-Op didn’t have to be but respect its rights and assist when they could. I think I got everyone listening closer and paying attention when I asked if anyone had thrown any rotting fruits or vegetables out within the last few days because the CO-Op needed the seeds to plant. Once they started seeing the daylight to that way of thinking, the rest was easy.” Dixon said commenting on how he had motivated everyone to start raising seedlings and digging up dirt.

  “You still haven’t told me what you are using for seed or planting?” Hogan said thinking Dixon must have sent the Hulksters out to loot some seeds.

  “Well that remains a problem but with everyone digging in the garbage cans for rotted fruit and Marilynn and her garden society teaching everyone how to save seeds, we can make a crop. Half that crap won’t grow I know and I have no idea how some of that tropical stuff is going to manage but the thing is we got it in the ground if it is a seed and every apartment in this complex has a diversion growing or tilling dirt here. What they do outside the complex is their business as long as they don’t bring trouble back here. 90 days to harvest is a long time to live on nothing. However a week of hope is worth a priceless treasure if it’s shared. I did need to remind a few hold outs that other neighborhoods and people were likely organizing the same as us in order to survive and that I doubted it was raising a garden they had on their mind over raising hell.” Dixon said painting the picture that Hogan had missed while on vacation.

  “Damn man, you make me wish I had stayed around here longer or come back earlier. I could of maybe helped you with that organizing maybe. That’s what I use to sort of do, if you remember right.” Hogan said trying to take in all the amazing progress the old man and his wife had accomplished since him and Annie had been gone.

  “You would have probably just got in the way. You had no plans on staying here, Hogan. You don’t have any now. Me and Marylyn no sooner said hey to you when you and Annie started reminding us that you were leaving the next time we saw you. You got a place here if you want it, Hogan, you know that.” Dixon said already knowing the response.

  “From the bottom of my heart, I thank you my friend but this place is not for me. I guess Marylyn is telling the same story to Annie; She might want to stay here now because this place is closer to her home state and family. When we were on the river, I kind of convinced her that there was no more hope of ever seeing them again but I might have been wrong. If you managed to pull this apartment complex together to pull as one to survive then there is more love and miracles in this world than I thought.” Hogan said patting the wise old man on the shoulder.

  “Shit Hogan, quit being such a whiney idiot. Take that beautiful girl and haul ass fast as you can to what you know is better. If I were a younger man and had the knowledge you have, I wouldn’t have even came back here. You think them modern society folks just quit thinking and looking out for themselves because this old man told them it was a good idea not to? They can’t handle what’s going on daily let me tell you and do the stupidest things believe me no matter how educated and liberal they are supposed to be. A few of them, not all mind you, are already sowing the seeds of discontent and being bitchy every way they know how to be still living in their selfish little worlds. It ain’t been no touchy feely everybody getting along after the couple speeches I gave, not by a long shot. That’s why I told you Hogan, you might have gotten in the way around here. See I was raised around moon shiners that had their own mob and way of influencing people to remain silent and helpful. A few folks needed an attitude adjustment you might say to know not to steal or threaten folks.” Dixon said thinking that no one in his Acme protection plan would have been worried about leaving a pie to cool on their kitchen window sill if such a luxury ever existed anymore because a beat down of some sorts wasn’t far away for the perpetrator if caught.

  “It sounds like you got all your bases covered, hell you got people probably sharecropping for you by now.” Hogan said with a laugh to which at first Dixon took offense but saw the humor in it.

  “If you just want to get your van and not play with the boys yet you can, Hogan.” Dixon said resuming their trip to retrieve the vehicle and him see about how the carcass was being cleaned.

  “Go check on them and see how they are making out with that task. I will send Annie and Marylyn back up here shortly to get her car.” Hogan said waving to the group of boys
skinning out the deer but deciding rather than mingle just yet, he would make sure his vehicle was operable and get his gear off the beach while they were distracted.

  'Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.' Henry David Thoreau

  8

  Traveling Dangerously

  “Holy Hell! Now is definitely not the time for us to be getting ourselves caught up in this traffic jam crap. Are all these crazy people evacuating from towns close by or is it that everyone is trying to get somewhere all at once?” Hogan thought to himself.

  Annie had been following behind Hogan’s van closely and he had finally managed to get them maneuvered into the left hand lane with a lot of cussing and trouble with other drivers. It was a good thing that he had been on this little stretch of highway before, because both of his previously planned on right lane exits he had wanted to take had been clogged.

  Hogan had followed this mad card chase for survival longer than he had wanted to and he was looking for the lane exchange turn off to go back the other way. The chain reaction of a wildfire had begun. Crippling drought conditions and unchecked fires from surrounding communities were sparking blaze after blaze across six states in the South.

  He strained his smoke irritated eyes looking out the window ahead trying to get a handle on exactly where this latest fire was at in relation to the road. As the fire storm approached, a piece of untouched ground somewhere close to the next exit it announced itself with a roar and a white hot light appeared on the horizon to his right.

  Big migrations of fleeing people and cars were trying to all speed in one direction as the fire spread through the surrounding towns and the area. The fire was burning so hotly and so quickly that many of the evacuating residents had little time to escape with their lives, much less gather their belongings. Those who were preoccupied with packing to flee were caught unawares of the fatal danger of their tardiness. People became mindlessly panicked as smoking embers began falling in town near the propane plant.