by R Kralik
Jason and Soo plan to load four empty diesel barrels in the bed of the Silverado and go to the truck stop to fill them.
Pop said he and Deuce will be working in the garden this morning. There's broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and peas. I've never preserved cabbage or spinach and I'll have to consult my canning books for directions.
There's a good amount of strawberries ready as well. I'm gonna slice and dry them so we can use them in oatmeal or use them for country style strawberry shortcake. I may put together a couple of strawberry pies to put in the freezer if the harvest is large enough.
My mind isn't working. It's focused on Mick and how bad I want him back.
I want all of them back and working on the fence. I am sick and tired of all the death, killing, and fear. I'm sick of horrible HDI's. I'm sick of worrying if we have enough of anything you can name.
Josie and Lisa are on watch. I'm going out to sit with them and watch the road for my man to come walking home. See ya later.
10:15 AM...
They're back and all of them are alive including the girls!
They came from the rear of the property about 7:30 this morning. Mick said they took a few twists and turns to throw off their trail to any gang member they might have missed. They walked on the side of the road and out of sight the entire way there. None of the men know exactly how long it took to get there, but they're guessing it was about two hours because they had to stop and take care of a little business before continuing on.
Approximately a mile from the camp, they were spotted by several HDI's who were standing in a ditch full of stagnant water beside the road. The HDI's began making their way out of the ditch and onto the pavement.
They didn't shoot because they knew they were very close to the gang camp and were afraid that someone would hear the shots.
Dane bashed the heads of four HDI's and Rick put a large hunting knife through the skulls of a couple more. Isaac lobbed off the head of one HDI with Jeremy's machete. Rick pushed an HDI to the ground and bashed in its head with his rifle stock. They made sure all the HDI's were down for good and continued on their way.
It wasn't long before Isaac recognized the area and pointed out the dark shape of the military truck several yards ahead. They approached the truck as quietly as they could.
Ian carefully pulled back the flap at the rear and saw a gang member sleeping like a baby inside. They crept up to the cab and looked inside to make sure no one else was there.
Ian softly knocked on the truck fender several times before the gang member woke up, said “Who is it?” and stuck his head out between the flaps. Rick grabbed him by the head and snapped his neck like a number 2 pencil. They dragged his body out of the truck and searched it for weapons or anything useful before leaving him there to rot. “One down, twelve to go” Isaac whispered.
Rick carefully opened the driver’s side door and everyone winced as it creaked. They stood motionless for several seconds before proceeding. Rick climbed in the cab and began searching every space he could think of. He found nothing, and climbed back down. They left the truck door open and headed into the woods with Isaac leading the way.
Rick and Ian pushed the toes of their boots into the ground every few feet until they found a muddy area. They finger painted their faces, necks, and hair with streaks of mud. The remaining men did the same except for Isaac, who needed no mud on his black skin and bald head.
They approached the camp and could hear laughter and talking. They sat back on their heels beside large tree trunks inside the tree-line to study the camp and its occupants.
The half-eaten boar was still over the fire pit and the coals were still hot but the fire had burned down. Several men approached the boar at different times. A young girl was slicing meat from the animal with a huge knife and laying the pieces on paper napkins in each man's hand. She never spoke a word.
The gypsy girls were nowhere in sight, so the men waited and watched. When the gang members finished eating, the girl walked toward a small tent and picked up several objects from the ground. She headed to the tree-line straight toward Kevin and Dane. She tossed the objects into the trees and turned to walk back to the fire pit. She pulled a small sleeping pad from a pack a few feet away, placed it on the ground beside the fire pit, and laid down on top.
Dane said the objects she tossed almost hit him in the chest. He looked down and saw three long, white objects laying at his feet. As soon as he touched the first one he knew what they were. They were used condoms, and Dane felt rage begin at the top of his head and travel down the entire length of his body.
He motioned to Mick and the crew that he was going to circle around where the tent was sitting. Ian and Rick nodded at him and he went on his way.
He made it to the rear of the tent, laid on his belly, and crawled up close. He used his knife to lift the bottom of the fabric just enough to see inside.
One of the girls was laying on a large blanket. There were lit candles sitting on tops of buckets at each side of the tent. The girl on the blanket was not moving. Dane felt a chill on his body in the muggy heat.
He almost lifted the fabric higher to crawl in and get her when the front flap on the tent opened and a man entered. The man ordered the girl up on her hands and knees and he went behind her and dropped his pants.
When the gang member's knees hit the ground with his back facing the rear of the tent, Dane quietly slid underneath the fabric, got up on his knees, and slit the creep's throat.
Blood gushed from the wound and landed on the girl's back. The piece of crap made gurgling sounds as he died and Dane put his hand over the man's mouth until his body stopped moving and he fell limp to the ground.
Dane looked at the girl and put his finger to his lips to motion her to stay quiet. He saw recognition in her eyes and felt confident that she wouldn't utter a sound. He slid back underneath the rear of the tent and dragged the dead man with him. As soon as the man's body cleared the tent, the girl slid out behind it and Dane led her into the woods. He left the dead man's body there to rot.
“Two down, eleven to go” Dane whispered as he passed Kevin while carrying the young girl in his arms.
He left her on the opposite side of the road in thick brush and told her he would be back but he had to get the remaining girls. She nodded, and he crept back across the road and into the woods.
He took his spot beside Kevin and sat there, waiting and watching. Kevin had already motioned to the other men that Dane had killed another one. Everyone would know there were eleven left.
Mick was on his knees beside a large maple when two gang members came bursting through the trees behind him. He said they came within a foot of the tree dragging a live HDI behind them. Mick said the close call gave him “major pucker factor.”
The gang members dragged the HDI to the pit, moved the Jeep back several feet, and lifted the corner of the grate. They cut the ropes on the HDI's hands and feet and kicked him into the pit. They put everything back in place and went to get their roasted boar supper from the young girl beside the fire.
Mick decide to check another small tent near the edge of the clearing. He belly crawled, crouched, and took cover behind trees as he made his way around the edge of the clearing and stopped at the rear of the tent to watch and listen. He was just in time to see a gang member leave the tent.
He heard soft crying coming from inside. He carefully lifted the rear of the tent a couple of inches, looked inside, and crawled underneath. The girl inside was Sabrina and she almost screamed when she saw him. He grabbed her, put his hand over her mouth, and whispered “shhh” in her ear.
It took a few seconds before he saw recognition in her eyes. He led her out the rear of the tent and carried her to the road.
He couldn't find the exact spot where Dane left the other girl, so he asked Sabrina to walk along the road, whispering for her. The young lady stood up from behind a large bush and motioned for Sabrina to join her.
Mick left the girls, head
ed back to the camp, and squatted beside Rick to watch and wait.
They believed that the last girl had to be inside the large tent.
While they were waiting, two gang members headed to the woods in Ian's direction. They were laughing and unbuckling their belts as they walked into the trees with a roll of toilet paper stuck in their armpits.
A few minutes went by before Mick saw Ian lean out, hold up two fingers, and slide his hand across his neck. Isaac was nearby and leaned in to whisper in Mick's ear “Four down, nine to go.”
Isaac was preparing to sneak around to the rear of the tent when he saw Red standing beside the doorway.
Red stomped out a cigarette, took a swig from a large bottle of alcohol, and headed inside. A couple of minutes went by before a female voice screamed in terror. The gang members milling around the camp began laughing and making obscene jokes. “Red likes 'em bloody and scared” one of the gang members said, and the others chuckled and nodded their heads in agreement.
Isaac lost control. He charged from the tree-line, roaring like a lion and heading straight toward the large tent with his pistol and machete raised in the air. He shot two gang members in the head before they even knew what was happening. Isaac screamed at the top of his lungs “SIX DOWN, SEVEN TO GO!” as he entered the tent.
Our crew had no choice but to charge from the woods and begin shooting and fighting. Dane swung his new club into the face of the nearest gang member. The man fell to the ground and Dane stomped his head with his size 14 steel toed boots until it was nothing but mush. “SEVEN DOWN, SIX TO GO” he screamed. Isaac's rage had infected Dane and he was like a mad man. Mick said Dane looked like he was ten feet tall.
Mick, Ian, Kevin, and Rick shot and fought the remaining gang members, shouting out the count as each gang member died. Dane threw one of his “little explosive devices” into a group of three gang members and it did its job. Pieces of them fell from the air and blood fell like misty rain. He was glad he didn't use one the hand grenades because everything in that clearing would have been mush.
Mick said the clearing was covered in red fog for several seconds before the fine mist either settled to the ground, or was carried away on the wind. Steam rose from body parts of assorted gang members.
During the battle, HDI's in the pit howled in harmony. Dane said the sound echoed through the trees and he thought his eardrums were going to burst from his head.
Finally, Ian shouted “TWELVE DOWN, ONE TO GO!”
Several seconds of silence passed before Isaac dragged Red out of the tent by his long, stylish Mohawk. Red was begging for his life while Isaac was dragging him to the HDI pit.
Kevin jumped inside the Jeep and backed it off the screen. It took four of them to slide the heavy screen off the corner of the pit.
Dane said our crew was out of their minds with primal rage. Their blood was pumping from the excitement of victory and they raised their weapons and shot into the air.
Isaac punched Red in the face, re-opening the knife wound that Chastity had put there.
Each man painted a stripe across their foreheads with Red's blood.
They fed Red to the HDI's a little at a time starting with his feet. After the HDI's had devoured him almost halfway to the knees, Red passed out.
They waited for him to regain consciousness and threw him into the pit. They watched the HDI's devour him. One of the HDI's was Chastity, and she removed huge chunks of flesh from Red's midsection and face. She placed her mouth on the knife wound she had put there when she was still alive. She bit down to taste more. Her teeth pulled flesh from his face and she swallowed it.
Ian located a full gas can and doused the HDI's it he pit. Isaac threw a lit match into the pit and fire whooshed to life. HDI's who were soaked in gasoline began to raise their flaming arms, reaching toward the men standing beside the pit. Ian quickly drove the Jeep back on top of the screen.
Mick ran inside the large tent and found Isabella there. She was standing in the rear corner of the tent like a blood covered statue. He picked her up and ran as fast as he could toward the road. Everyone else followed closely behind.
The young girl whom Isaac had seen earlier serving the boar was nowhere to be found.
They left the dead gang members there to rot and didn't feel a bit of remorse.
They pulled Anna and Sabrina out of the bushes and were trying to comfort them when they heard the gas tank on the Jeep explode. All three girls screamed and fell to the ground. The men had to pick them up and carry them down the road.
They were about 30 yards from the military truck when they heard the engine roar to life. They turned to look and could barely see the truck being driven away on four flat tires. It was moving fast. They were shocked and ran back inside the tree-line.
Isaac wanted to chase after the fast moving truck and shoot through the rear but Rick and Ian convinced him that he'd never make it in time to take out the driver or anyone else who might be inside, and that someone might be in the back, waiting for him.
They began walking home and had to take turns carrying Isabella. She was in shock and has dozens of shallow knife wounds all over her body. I thought she had been rolled in razor wire. I was felt that “all too familiar” sorrow make its way into my heart.
They arrived home this morning. They all looked like half-human
beasts that had been living underground deep in the forest. They were covered in dust, mud, leaves, forest debris, and blood.
The girl’s eye's looked distant and empty. Anna ran over to stand beside Larson and he put his arm around her shoulder. Rona almost went toward them but decided to let it go and stood there watching like the concerned mother of a teenage boy.
Hisa has all three girls in Clinic Diane and Rebecca's there to assist her.
It's taken me so long to write out their experience that I've missed lunch. I'm starving and I'm gonna head out there to see if anything's left. See ya later.
11:00 PM...
We need additional little wooden buildings because Isaac, Nicholas, and the girls want to live here with us and we are not going to turn them away.
Isabella is twenty years old and was raised on a sweet potato farm. Hopefully, she'll be Pop's new partner in the gardens. She has been cut with razor blades and small knives all over her face, limbs, and body. Hisa is scared to death of bacteria and started her on an antibiotic regimen. She'll have scars. She'll have lots of scars.
Anna is sixteen years old and from Birmingham. She lived with her single mother who was bitten by a coworker and came home early from work. She tried to attack Anna in the middle of the night. Anna locked herself in the bathroom and spent two days there before her HDI mother left the house.
Anna walked to our area with a small group of refugees. One of the male members of the group began making inappropriate suggestions and touching her when no one was looking. She waited until everyone was asleep one night and crept away with only the clothes on her back. Samuel found her sleeping in a barn where he parked the gypsy bus to camp.
She was raped by gang members several times but Hisa expects her to get through it faster than the other two girls because she is very strong-willed.
Sabrina is Samuel's granddaughter and Nicholas' sister. Nicholas is the oldest. Samuel raised them since Sabrina was four and Nicholas was seven. They lived in the gypsy bus on a rented t lot at a campground. No one from child services checked on them.
Samuel never legally adopted them, but claimed them as his own on legal paperwork and medical forms. Nicholas and Sabrina loved life at the campground and being home schooled by Samuel.
Their father was Samuel's son. He is/was in prison for killing a burglar who tried to break into their home. He was convicted of murder because police officers found marijuana in the home and the prosecutor convinced a jury that the incident was a drug deal gone bad.
Their mother is somewhere in the wind and they haven't seen her since their father went to prison.
Hisa said t
hey lived a fairytale life with Samuel and were allowed to do whatever they wished as long as they caused no harm to any living being. They became twenty-first century hippies with the influence of their grandfather who loved life, nature, freedom, and people
When the world collapsed and many of the campground residents became HDI's, Samuel gathered his grandchildren, looted every camper he was able to enter without getting eaten, and hit the road. He picked up lost folks along the way and together they became the Gypsy Traders.
I'm yawning and ready to climb in bed and try to sleep. Wish me luck.
Bye for now.
Sunday, March 30
Hisa was quietly freaking out at breakfast this morning. She grabbed my arm, and her evil little fingernails dug in as she dragged me to the back porch.
The girls say that most of the men who raped them didn't use condoms. Hisa says there's a high chance that at least one of them is pregnant. I told her it was too early to worry because there's nothing we can do about it. If any of them are pregnant, well, we have nine months to figure it out but I'm almost 100% positive that God won't drop a world-renowned obstetrician on our heads.
I've always believed that a woman who became pregnant from rape might try to consider a young, innocent, baby as a gift from God for living through it. If she can't do that, I believe adoption is the best solution for unwanted children of rape. I'd take as many as I could care for in a heartbeat.
Everyone has their own opinion and they're welcome to it, but I don't wanna be drilled about mine, nor do I want to see giant posters of aborted babies being slammed against my car windows. I believe those photos extort innocent babies. Besides, sometimes I have Amber in the car and... Geez!
Anyway, I asked Hisa to concentrate on the girl's physical and emotional wounds for now.
We have all of the clothes the girls and men were wearing soaking in bleach water. They'll come out splotchy, completely white, or funky colored, but we can't afford to throw away clothing. This is the apocalypse, and clothing is a highly sought after commodity.
