Escaping Home

by Jeffrey Miller

  What Nate was actually looking for, and was hoping would run, was parked right next to the MRAP. The massive black Volvo tractor-trailer would be perfect for the trip. The long box trailer was in mint condition in the same manner that the truck looked. Emmett had told Nate where they hid the keys for each truck and he went looking for them. At the rear of the truck, up behind the license plate and zip tied to the back bracket, the keys hung out of sight. Nate removed his knife and cut the plastic tie. He walked back up to the front and climbed up to the door. This rig was a large sleeper style with a slopped back roof making it more aerodynamic. Nate used the key and opened the large door. Sitting in the colossal seat that easily held his massive frame, he turned the key slowly. The sound of thunder under the hood erupted. He was surprised, expecting to find dead batteries or some other mechanical issue. Instead, the engine came alive. The fuel gage even read half full. Now to find the rest of the fuel cans.

  Nate turned off the truck after moving it to a different area of the field. He opened the rear of the trailer expecting it to be empty. He was shocked when inside he found one pallet tucked near the front of the trailer strapped in good. On that pallet he found eighteen large deep cycle batteries. He wasn’t sure what they went to, but apparently they were overlooked when the fighting was over, or someone knew they were here and had left them. The pallet was wrapped and well secured to the wall of the trailer. He would leave it where it sat for now. Nate stood at the rear of the trailer trying to figure out how he would get the Ranger up inside. He scanned the area looking for anything at the old airstrip that could assist. One small building sat about half a mile from where he stood. It was worth the look.

  Nate drove up to the old wooden shack. The shack may have once been part of a runway supply depot that worked at keeping the one runway clean. The lock was still on the small building but Nate just kicked in the door. He wasn’t worried about anyone being inside because it was locked. The side windows let in just enough light to make things inside visible. Right away he saw one small yard tractor, an old pickup truck from the mid-70s, some items he wasn’t sure what they were used for, and not much of anything else. Overall, the place was void of anything that could help right now. The building did have a second floor, but the two metal ladders that led to the second floor were not attached at the top portion. Then the obvious slapped Nate across the face. He could use the two long ladders to make a ramp. They were heavy, but that was a good thing; so was his Ranger. Nate didn’t plan to leave the Ranger; in fact, he hoped someday to return it to Chris’s family. For now though, he had to find something to help him attach both of them to the ranger so that he could get them to the truck. Then he thought to himself, just go bring the truck over here! A smile came across his face as he realized it was starting to get late and food was screaming his name. Nate departed the shed after removing the two ladders from where they were positioned to climb to the second storage area. He then ran the half mile in mere minutes to retrieve the truck.

  *****

  Henry was sitting outside on his porch with Ben. In Ben’s hand was an old lever action .22 rifle. Henry had set up several paper targets about twenty yards away. Ben was learning how to accurately shoot when both stopped and turned their heads toward each other.

  “What the heck is that sound?” Henry asked Ben. A look of puzzlement came across Ben’s face to hearing the sound grow louder. Henry stood and grabbed up his larger caliber .308 rifle. Then he saw the top of the black truck’s roof crest over the hill with Nate driving.

  “Well I’ll be! It’s your dad, Ben,” Henry said, peering at Nate while smiling through the scope of his rifle. Henry figured they might get some truck, maybe an old piece, but not some shiny new looking monster like this. The entire thing was black. It was very impressive to see even with the dirt flying up creating a cloud behind the trailer. Betty came running out the front door to see what the racket was, just in time to witness her son pulling up in front of the home.

  “Heaven Henry, how did he manage that? He must have given up all the head of cattle for that thing,” Betty stated half joking. Henry wasn’t really worried about the cattle. He knew they couldn’t take, nor care for them, and he had made arrangements with a nearby rancher who decided to stay in the area. He would inform the rancher of how many to come and take when the time was right. But, he needed to find out the details of the current deal Nate made with Emmett.

  Nate slowed the rig and shut down the engine. He opened the door and stood at the top step, waving to his family.

  “Northbound and down, dad!” Nate said, laughing. Henry loved the old Smokey and the Bandit movies. Nate just changed up the direction.

  Henry, Ben, and Betty, all walked fast down the porch steps to the truck.

  “Wow dad! This is so neat and big!” Ben was the first to comment.

  “Son, how did you pull this off? Don’t get me wrong, it will work just fine, but damn, it’s nice!” Henry added to Ben’s excitement.

  Betty was walking up to the door and climbed up to peek inside.

  “Go ahead mom, look inside,” Nate said.

  She opened the door and made her way in. She disappeared into the back of the rig. Moments later, she reappeared in the front of the cab and opened the door.

  “Henry, it has a bed and a microwave,” Betty said, seeming very pleased.

  Nate walked with his dad to the rear of the trailer and opened it to reveal the makeshift ramps and the Ranger in the back. He also pointed at the pallet of batteries that were in the trailer. Henry shook his head.

  “So, you are telling me that Emmet was just about killed today? Son, I’m glad you were there, but it concerns me that people are becoming more and more violent. Don’t get me wrong, I know why, and it’s to be expected, but do you think we can really get far in this truck?” Henry asked.

  Henry had vague ideas of how bad it was in the nation, but he knew that Nate saw it first hand on his trek home. He trusted his son in so many ways; especially with their lives.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I think though that we can get out of Texas with both our trucks and the Ranger inside the trailer. We can load up as much food and water as possible, along with fuel for our trucks. The further we can drive this semi, the more fuel we will have for our personal vehicles. Everything will be a gamble, dad. I hate it. I don’t wish to leave, but with that many hungry desperate people coming, I don’t know how we would hold out here. We are both trained, but it’s not us I’m concerned with,” Nate said looking at his mom and Ben who were still looking at the front area of the truck.

  “So, what is the driving plan? Can I tell you what I think we should do?” Henry asked.

  “Sure, what do you think?” Nate replied. He could tell when his father was thinking because he always made certain facial expressions. Nate was told he did the same thing, but wasn’t sure he believed it.

  “I would love to be able to drive my little truck ahead of this thing as a warning system. If there is something ahead, I could radio back using some old CB radios I have. However Nate, I’m not a young man anymore,” Henry said with a hint of regret in his voice.

  “Dad, it’s a great plan and I would be happy to run ahead of you guys. I guess you know how to drive this then?” Nate asked. Henry stood up to his full 6’5” frame and pushed his chest out.

  “Boy, I was driving this stuff before you were a glint in your mom’s eye,” he said on purpose, trying to sound like an old cliché. Henry busted out a laugh. “Umm, you will have to refresh my memory, it’s been a while,” he admitted.

  Nate laughed.

  Chapter 7

  The Weight of the World

  The next day, Nate and his family were making preparations for the trip. Ben had small collections of things he wished to take. It wasn’t much because he never owned much. Everything he had would easily stow away in the Tundra that would be loaded in the semi. Now that Henry’s truck would be used as a scout vehicle, there was more room inside to take
additional supplies. Nate had assembled everything he could think of that might be of use, or as barter along the way if needed. Then Nate picked up a picture of himself mounted on Traveller. This was going to be difficult. He originally considered building a small horse stable inside the trailer, but it wasn’t feasible. The horse required so many things, and its age meant it wouldn’t fare well from the long trip. Nate spoke to his father about it, and he suggested that the let the rancher that Nate knew, care for Traveller also. Nate had a hard time with letting go. The rancher was a good man, and one they had known for thirty years. He had many family members living on their spread, with numerous head. Traveller would be in good hands. Henry was in contact by Ham radio with the man and told him when they left he could come by the next day to herd up the remaining head and the horses. Betty insisted on taking the chickens, so Henry was making a small coop for them inside the trailer. Nate wasn’t sure how that was going, but he saw his dad cutting on pieces of chicken wire for some contraption.

  Henry was also setting up a makeshift Ham station inside the big rig, along with installing the old CB in his small Nissan Frontier. The semi already had a modern CB and nonworking satellite radio, TV, and even GPS. The radio stations had stopped working weeks earlier. Once in a while, you might hear garbled old tunes someone was attempting to play.

  Henry also disassembled as many solar items and their power sources. He would also bring along many tools, but realized there might be a time much of all the stuff would be ditched. It was a chance he would need take.

  Hours earlier, Henry finished emptying all the fuel that Nate brought with him from the airstrip. Nate siphoned off about twenty gallons of regular fuel from a few trucks at the strip into a few empty containers he found in the shed. Henry wondered why so much of this stuff was left unattended. Nate told him that many people had died from the battle with the truckers and most didn’t care to even see the trucks. In reality, people were not thinking about the resources they had at their disposal.

  Betty was boxing up all the dehydrated foods she could. She also bottled water into available containers. The one thing they were going to take was the very heavy, but dependable, solar generator. Both Nate and Henry said they would find a way to get the generator loaded for the trip. Betty stepped back and looked at the several coolers she had loaded down with vegetables, some fruits from their small apple trees, and many bags of pecans. They had plenty of food to last at least two months if rationed. Water was her concern. Nate told her not to worry about it. He was confident that if needed, they would make do along the way. She trusted Nate, but didn’t wish to drink muddy water. That’s what she told Nate, who then laughed and said he could remove the mud.

  Betty heard the door open behind her.

  “Well, I see you have it all ready,” Henry said. Betty walked over and hugged him. He was taken aback by the gesture, and slowly hugged her back. He could tell she was scared and full of sorrow. She cried a lot on his chest before speaking any words. Henry stroked her long hair with his hand. He didn’t say a word.

  She then leaned out and looked up at Henry.

  “Are we doing the right thing? I mean leaving. This is our home, Henry. What if these thousands of people don’t show up?”

  Henry listened to her words. He already knew this was coming. He prepared for the questions as best he could.

  “Yes, it’s possible they might not show; but it’s more likely that they will, my love. Then what? How do we protect ourselves and feed them all? Do we split the land up and say, ‘you take this, you take that, oh…and have all the free steaks you want.’ Betty, there is no winning this fight. Nate knew that; him of all people, a warrior, an Army Ranger. No honey, they are coming, and I fear it won’t be long before we start to hear or even see people coming,” Henry finished.

  Betty had a different look on her face now. The look was as if a light went off in her head. The words Henry spoke woke her up. She now knew he was right. She felt it in her heart.

  “I believe you. I know you are right, we can’t stop them, and they won’t stop,” she replied.

  “There is an old saying, not sure who said this, but it goes like this: one man will usually think clearly and not be a threat, but groups of people –hordes in panic or fear –do not think clearly. These are the people you have to prepare for,” Henry said.

  Betty’s eyes focused with a new level of awareness. Henry noticed and was surprised at how strong she seemed now.

  Henry had earlier provided Nate with a solution to the loading and unloading of the Tundra and the Ranger into the back of the semi. Henry deconstructed several raised bed gardens, and built a few long ramps that would be strong enough for the large truck to drive up. He reinforced the bulky wood with strips of leftover thick aluminum he was using to construct a new Ham radio antenna. It was a very heavy ramp, but they would need to use it unless they were pulling the Tundra out.

  Nate was loading some boxes in the Tundra when he looked at his watch. It was nearly noon, time to go see if Sammie would be making contact on the Ham radio. They agreed two days earlier to try to reach each other at noon. Ben was done with his portion of loading and asked if he could go with Nate. Soon they were both walking down the road to his parents’ house.

  Henry was already out in the Ham shed as talking to someone when they walked up.

  “I am sorry to hear that. Keep your head down, Charlie. Don’t take any prisoners,” Henry said as he turned to see the two standing behind him.

  “Henry, they seem like more a gang than anything. I see some families, but they are staying away from the main group,” Charlie said. Henry gave Nate a worried look.

  “Ok, have to go. Stay safe,” Henry finished.

  “Ok, talk later,” Charlie said, followed by a crackle, and then silence.

  “That was Charlie; he’s out fourteen miles south of Borger. He said a band of about 1,000 men of all sorts is leading a pack of about 4,000. They are moving slow, going house to house where they met no resistance, and taking what they can. The ones who resist, they just keep going. Some have been killed. They don’t seem to have many weapons yet, but it’s a matter of time before they come across someone’s stash out here,” Henry repeated what Charlie had told him. Charlie was one of the individuals who resisted. After he removed a few of their leaders from the pack, the group quickly moved on. Charlie was older than Henry. He served in the Korean War as an Army Sniper.

  “Well, that means it won’t be long until they reach Borger. Wonder how their police force has held up?” Nate rhetorically asked.

  Henry stood to let Nate have a seat.

  “Guess we will see. I have the channel, see if you can reach her now, Nate,” Henry said.

  Ben watched, eyes open wide at the sight of all the blinking equipment. Nate forgot that Ben had not yet seen all of the radio gear.

  “Pretty cool, isn’t it Ben?” Nate asked.

  Ben just nodded his head with excitement.

  Nate called out the Ham call letters across the air and waited nothing but silence across the waves. Nate repeated and then he could hear her voice.

  “Nate, this is Sammie. I can hear you. Sorry, I was busy and lost track of time,” she paused for him to reply.

  Nate smiled, thinking he nearly did the same.

  “It’s ok. Good to hear your voice again any new news from your end?” Nate asked.

  The standard pause followed before she replied.

  “We did hear that U.S. troops have bombed Iran. We don’t know if it was nuclear or what, but we can’t even confirm that, so who knows. The news came across shortwave radio,” she replied. Nate thought this might be true based on his conversation with Randy back at the Texas Oklahoma border. The U.S. suspected the Iranians of the attacks.

  “Nate, we also picked up chatter about the Chinese possibly forming an alliance with the U.S. to topple both Iran and Korea. That came across short radio news broadcast from Brittan’s BBC division,” she added.

&nbs
p; Strategically, this made more sense to Nate. The two most powerful nations currently in the world, attacked by two of the smallest. The amount of damage to both countries would push them both to work together with available resources.

  “Sammie, of the two possibilities, I would have to say the latter is likely; but who really knows. Ok, we have news for you. We are bugging out of here,” Nate said, waiting for a reply.

  “You are? Because of what we told you?” she asked.

  “Yes, and the fact that thousands, if not millions, are fleeing from the eastern portions of Texas for the west now. My father has made contact with some friends and they have confirmed this,” Nate explained.

  Nate could sense Ben trying to whisper something to him. Nate turned to look at Ben.

  “Is that your girlfriend?” Ben asked. He was serious in his tone so Nate tried not to appear like he found the idea humorous.

  “No,” Nate said in a whisper. But his Mic was on.

  “Know what?” Sammie asked.

  Nate turned red. Did she hear the question from Ben?

  “Oh, sorry. I was talking to someone here,” Nate replied.

  Ben giggled like a little boy.

  “Oh, ok. Well, where are you going to go? I assume your family is going too?” Sammie asked.

  Nate didn’t have an answer for her, but knew he was headed north; far north.

  “We haven’t decided yet,” Nate replied. Before he could add more, Sammie came back on the radio.

  “You are coming here. Nate, it makes sense. If you can get here, then come here,” she said firmly. She was adamant in her tone. Nate almost felt like he couldn’t even argue the point. Why would he argue? She would just tell him no, you are coming here, again and again.