After the Republic

by Frank L. Williams

  Caroline nodded and leaned against the rock wall, her hands on her knees. Rebecca stretched while Reagan nosed around, sniffing everything in sight. After a few minutes they resumed their trek up the mountain, stopping several more times along the way.

  After an hour they arrived at a spot which offered a clear, unobstructed view. Wispy clouds intermingled with the rolling mountaintops, some of which featured patches of snow. In the valley below, Lake Fontana zig-zagged between the mountains and seemed to stretch to eternity. Rebecca and Caroline took a seat on a rock and admired the view, while a jittery Reagan avoided venturing too close to the edge.

  “This view makes the hike up here worth it,” Caroline said.

  “Just think, after doing this for a year we’ll all be in good enough shape to make this climb with no problem,” Rebecca said. “I wish Josh were up here with us.”

  After some time Perry said, “Well, we’d better head back. We don’t want to miss dinner.”

  Reagan led the way as the group headed down the trail. As they rounded a corner in a thickly wooded area the puppy froze in his tracks and began growling. Perry raised his hand and motioned for everyone to stop. Rebecca’s stomach churned as she spotted two black bear cubs on the trail ahead of them.

  “Cubs,” Perry whispered. “If they are here then Mama can’t be far away.”

  They slowly backed away. Rebecca’s heart leapt when a large bear bounded out of the woods in front of them. The animal’s barbaric roar sent a horrific chill down her spine. In lightning-quick fashion, the bear unleashed the full force of her maternal instincts with a vicious slap that began on Perry’s shoulder, slashed diagonally across his midsection and sent him careening off the trail. Rebecca heard several violent thuds as he crashed into trees along the way. Reagan let out a terrified yelp, ran between the bear’s legs and disappeared down the trail.

  As the bear took a menacing step forward Caroline sent forth a shrill scream that echoed throughout the mountaintops. Rebecca drew her Beretta and stepped between Caroline and the advancing beast. “Caroline, run!”

  Caroline turned to flee, which only incited the already enraged bear. Rebecca’s jaw dropped as the monstrosity of an animal stood on its back legs, towering over her. As the bear issued another echoing roar she fired a shot, connecting with its shoulder. The wound only angered the bear. Rebecca pivoted and ran a few steps, then spun and fired another shot. This one hit the bear’s stomach, but did not stop its charge. As Rebecca turned to flee from the approaching monster she felt her foot tangle with a root. Her pistol flew from her hand as she stumbled and fell forward. She watched helplessly as her trusty Beretta skidded down the trail, out of reach. She could sense the bloodthirsty animal bearing down on her.

  “Rebecca!” Caroline screamed as the angry bear approached its prey.

  ***

  Joshua was suddenly wide awake, his much-needed nap rudely interrupted. What was that sound? He used his uninjured left hand to push himself out of the recliner. Bob and Jim rushed into the clearing as Joshua stepped onto the porch.

  “Did you hear something?” Joshua asked.

  “Yes,” Bob said. “Two shots from up on the mountain.”

  A cold chill bolted down Joshua’s spine. “Rebecca is up there.” Joshua pointed up the trail. “Hiking with Perry and Caroline.” As he finished his sentence Reagan zoomed down the trail and planted himself at his side, trembling. Joshua’s stomach twisted. “That can’t be good.”

  Another shot rang out. Then another. And another.

  “That’s a larger caliber weapon,” Bob said. “I will investigate.”

  Joshua stepped off of the porch, gently gripping the railing with his bandaged hand.

  Bob turned and pointed at Joshua. “You stay here. We need you healthy. I’ll handle this!” He bolted up the trail.

  ***

  Rebecca sat on the ground, shaking. The dead bear’s bleeding carcass was scarcely a foot in front of her. The two cubs lay dead on the trail behind their mother.

  Caroline ran to her. “Oh my God, Rebecca, are you okay?”

  Rebecca nodded, unable to speak. Nearly hyperventilating, she struggled to catch her breath.

  Jack stepped onto the trail from the mountainside, replacing the spent rounds from his 30:06. “Are you okay, Mrs. Winston?” Rebecca nodded, still unable to speak.

  Frantic, Caroline ran to the spot where the bear had sent her husband careening down the steep slope. “Perry?” No response. “Perry?” she yelled out. Still no response. “Perry?”

  Jack walked to the edge of the ravine and scanned it. “I can’t see him from here.”

  Bob rounded the curve, running at a breakneck clip with his 1911 drawn. “What happened?” He showed no signs of being out of breath after his sprint up the mountain.

  “They stumbled onto a bear with two cubs,” Jack answered. “The mother bear knocked Perry down this hill. Thankfully, I was close enough to take them out before they hurt anyone else.”

  Bob holstered his weapon. “What were you doing up here, McGee?”

  “Hunting these bears. Spotted their tracks yesterday.”

  “Good work, McGee.”

  Jack smiled. “And the predator becomes the prey.”

  “And dinner,” Bob said with a chuckle. “Mrs. Winston, are you okay?”

  Rebecca nodded. “I… I will be.”

  “Where is Mr. Edwards?”

  “We haven’t found him yet.” Jack pointed. “He went down here.”

  Caroline began sobbing.

  “McGee, you go down the incline and look for him.” Bob opened a small telescope. “I’ll survey the area from up here.” Jack climbed down the hill while Bob scanned the mountainside below them.

  Bob chuckled as Jim staggered around the curve, panting. “What took you so long?”

  Jim put his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. “What happened?”

  “Sir, did I hear gunshots?” Bob and Jim turned to see Kane walking down the trail. “I was hunting further up the mountain.”

  “Found him!” Jack’s voice rang out from the ravine below. “He’s unconscious but breathing. Help me get him out.”

  Kane laid his rifle on the ground and made his way down the hill. Bob and Jim cut sticks and vines and constructed a makeshift stretcher. Perry regained consciousness as they reached him.

  “You’re lucky to be alive,” Jack said. “That bear laid you out. Try to be still and we’ll get you out of here.”

  The four men slowly carried Perry up the steep embankment. Jim stumbled when his foot slipped on a rock, nearly sending Perry careening back down the incline. Caroline’s sobbing intensified when she saw the bloody gash that stretched diagonally from Perry’s shoulder across his midsection, almost to his waist. Jack and Jim carried Perry down the trail, flanked by Rebecca and Caroline. Bob and Kane stayed behind to prepare the dead bears for transport to the cleaning station.

  ***

  A number of people had gathered around Joshua’s cabin, where he was pacing nervously on the porch when Jim and Jack came into sight carrying Perry’s stretcher. He heaved a deep sigh of relief when he saw Rebecca. She ran to meet him in the clearing and collapsed in his arms, unleashing a torrent of pent-up tears.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  Jack explained what had taken place. “Perry was knocked out, and as you can see he has a pretty bad wound.”

  Keri disappeared up the path, returning a few minutes later with her medical supplies to treat and bandage Perry’s wounds. Joshua put his unbandaged arm around his trembling wife and walked her back to their cabin, where John and Ruth were trying to comfort a still-nervous Reagan.

  ***

  That night the smell of grilling venison began emanating throughout the camp. When Joshua arrived at Drew’s cabin he was surprised to find a fully constructed A-frame shelter and a second shelter attached to the cabin, under which Drew had parked his truck and trailer.

  “That’s interesting.” J
oshua nodded in the direction of the makeshift garage.

  “Sure is,” Rebecca said. “How is Drew able to do all of this?”

  “Good question,” Joshua answered. “He made decent money at the legislature, but I can’t figure out how he could afford to buy that cabin from Thomas free and clear, not to mention this.”

  “Just keep an eye on him.” Rebecca cocked an eyebrow. “He still seems shady to me. I just don’t trust him.”

  Joshua worked his way through the line to Jim. “Nice shelter. And that’s a nice structure Drew has over his vehicle.”

  “Sure is.”

  “How is Drew able to afford all of this? And how is he compensating Thomas?”

  “That’s his business,” Jim answered. “I’m not going to stick my nose into it. I respect his privacy.”

  “As should I.” Joshua looked down. “Is Drew here?”

  “No, he took off with Thomas. Not sure where they went.”

  A few minutes later Thomas’ Suburban made its way up the winding dirt path to the camp followed by a small, unassuming motorcycle.

  Bob walked to Joshua, his hand on his holstered weapon. “Who is that on the motorcycle?”

  “I’m not sure. Jim said Drew went somewhere with Thomas. Could be him.”

  Thomas stepped out of his truck. “Hey, folks. How are y’all?” The motorcycle pulled up beside him and the rider shut off the engine and removed his helmet. It was Drew.

  “Hey guys,” Joshua greeted them. “Drew, when did you get a motorcycle?”

  “Today. Thomas helped me find it. I thought it would draw a little less attention than a big, brand-new pickup truck.” He pointed at two black canoes protruding from the open hatch on Thomas’ Suburban. “Thomas also said you guys needed some canoes for fishing, so I got these for you.”

  Joshua returned to his seat, shaking his head. I can’t figure him out.

  ***

  The next day Joshua had just finished lunch when he heard a knock on the cabin door.

  “Hey, buddy.” Thomas opened the door. “I’m gonna ride down to the store and pick up a few things. Want to ride with me to learn a little more about the area?”

  “Sounds good. We need to take either Bob, Kane or Jack with us for security purposes.”

  “If you insist. Let’s invite Jack. He seems a little more laid back than those other two cats. Tommy’s going, too.”

  They departed the camp thirty minutes later. Thomas pointed out a few key spots as they toured the area and then headed south to Robbinsville. “Most of the stores I use are down here. It’s a bit of a hike, but there ain’t much close to us up here.”

  Joshua and Jack navigated the narrow aisles in the grocery store, which was smaller than a typical pharmacy in a larger city. The store was relatively empty given the current crisis.

  “I’m surprised they aren’t sold out of everything,” Joshua said. “This store doesn’t look like it’s been pillaged like some of the ones in bigger cities.”

  “Yet,” Jack said.

  “Not as crowded as I’d expect either,” Joshua added.

  “Nobody lives here,” Jack said. “We’re off the beaten path.”

  “Precisely why we picked it,” Joshua responded.

  They split up and filled their shopping carts with everything that seemed like it could be useful: batteries, canned foods, pre-packaged meals, all of the salt, pepper, sugar and coffee on the shelves as well as bandages and other medical supplies.

  ***

  The young woman kept her distance from the tall man in the tan baseball cap and his teenage son. She followed them down two aisles at the store, watching their every move. During one stop the man grabbed what appeared to be a lifetime supply of toothpicks. She snapped their picture on her smartphone before they rounded the corner and disappeared from her line of sight.

  She sent the picture to someone with a text: Aren’t these the dudes we tried to rob Saturday night? When the old man rescued them? And trashed ur truck LOL.

  The response came instantaneously: Think so. Where r u? Not funny abt truck.

  Store. Now I know where they shop. If you were here we could handle this now.

  We’ll have our chance.

  ***

  The four men loaded their supplies into the Suburban and left the store. Jack’s face lit up with a big smile as they pulled into the driveway at an old shack with a sign that simply said “Guns and Ammo.”

  “My buddy runs this place,” Thomas said. “Good place to stock up. He always keeps some set aside for me.” They bought a significant amount of ammunition and several knives before the group departed for camp.

  “How was the ride?” Rebecca asked as Joshua made his way into the cabin.

  “Good. The good news is that we are truly off the beaten path. The bad news is that we have to make a fairly long drive for nearly anything we need, which exposes us for longer periods of time than I’d like. But we stocked up on ammo.”

  “While you were gone I checked on the chickens and cows. They all seemed fine, but still no eggs.”

  Joshua groaned. “Not good. They’re probably still in shock from the trip here. Let’s check on them tonight and maybe we can let them out to roam a bit tomorrow.”

  That night everyone congregated at the shelter, where Jim was grilling portions of the bear meat. Rebecca helped Joshua maneuver his plate and drink to compensate for his still-bandaged right hand.

  Joshua pointed at Perry’s arm. “What’s up with the sling? Did you break a bone?”

  “No, but the gash was bad enough that Keri thought it would be wise to keep it immobilized for a few days.”

  Joshua sighed. “At the rate we’re going we’re going to look like a camp full of the walking wounded soon.”

  After a few minutes Jim and Keri joined the group.

  “So, how are my patients?” Keri scratched her dirty blonde hair.

  “Hanging in there,” Joshua said. “Thanks for taking care of us.”

  “Glad to help. I didn’t know I’d be running an urgent care clinic our first few days here!”

  Her comment was received with laughter, but the truth of it worried Joshua. If things are already this difficult, this fast, how will people respond when the going really gets tough? He bit his lower lip.

  “Jim, the food is excellent as always,” Joshua said. “We may make you the official camp chef.”

  Jim nodded, but Caroline offered a less optimistic appraisal. “I’m sure it’s good, but you guys are eating deer and now bear? I’m not used to seeing all of this strange food. I don’t eat meat, and so far there is nothing here for me to eat. What will I do when the supplies we brought with us run out? Starve?”

  “We’ll all have to get out of our comfort zone while we’re here,” Keri said.

  “I guess so.” Caroline heaved a despondent sigh. “Isn’t there a grocery store somewhere nearby?”

  “It’s a bit of a hike to the closest one,” Joshua said. “And a lot of the stores nearby are running out of everything.” Caroline groaned.

  After a few minutes Joshua looked over the crowd. “Where’s Drew?”

  “He took off on that new motorcycle,” Jim said. “Took a backpack with him, but not much else. Didn’t say where he was going and snuck out before I could ask.”

  “Well, I hope he gets back before too late.”

  ***

  The next morning was colder than the previous two. Joshua’s breath was clearly visible in the winter air. Reagan joined him on the porch for a few minutes before pawing at the door, apparently having had his fill of the cold. Rebecca opened the door to let him inside.

  “Brr. Don’t get yourself sick, Josh.”

  Joshua nodded, took a swig of coffee and opened his Bible.

  Twenty minutes later Jim made his way down the hill, a look of obvious concern on his face. “What’s wrong?” Joshua asked.

  “Drew apparently never showed up last night. I just checked and he’s not in his room. It d
oesn’t look like he came in at all.”

  Joshua shook his head. “Oh, brother. Go see if Jack is awake. We should go look for him.”

  Jim threw his hands in the air. “I have no idea where to look.”

  Joshua shrugged. “Me either.”

  Before Jim could make it halfway across the clearing they heard the sound of a whirring motorcycle engine making its way up the path. Drew pulled up to Joshua’s cabin. “Good morning, guys. What’s up?”

  “Where have you been?” Joshua asked.

  “I had a few things to take care of.”

  “We were worried about you,” Jim said. “I was getting ready to wake Jack up.”

  “Why were you going to wake Jack?”

  “Because we were going to look for you,” Joshua said.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you guys. But you don’t need to worry about me or keep track of where I am. I can take care of myself.”

  “In a normal world I wouldn’t doubt that,” Joshua said. “But we are not in a normal world, and we all need to be extra careful. Especially those of us who are on the council. We have to lead by example.”

  “Well, I’m not going to promise I’ll tell you every time I come and go,” Drew said. “But I will take extra precautions to ensure that no one follows me back here or knows where we are.”

  “What if something happens to you and no one knows where you are?” Jim asked.

  Drew brushed off the concern. “That’s on my shoulders. Again, don’t worry about me.” He put his helmet on and drove to his cabin.

  “I worry that he’s being a bit reckless,” Jim said.

  “Slightly. Well, I’m glad you guys are staying with him. Some of us are hoping you can be a mentor to him.”

  After raising the flag Bob and Kane went to check the trotlines. Joshua’s heart sank when they returned and reported no fish.

  Sunset brought more bad news. Not only had the chickens still not produced any eggs, a predator had apparently snagged one of the hens.

  The next day offered more of the same: no fish and no eggs.

  Joshua frowned. “If the chickens aren’t going to lay eggs maybe we should just eat them.”

  “They’ll eventually start producing,” Rebecca assured him.

  “I hope so, but I’m starting to wonder.”