Patriots Awakening

by R. M. Strauhs

  Turning to his wife, Stephan smiled, “Now, sweetheart, how about you and I go up to bed and fool around.” He pulled Susan from the chair and pushed her towards the staircase. “I’m taking full advantage of this asteroid scare.”

  Susan laughed as she started up the stairs and yelled, “Good night,” over her shoulder.

  ~~~

  Alice watched the happy couple running up the stairs to their room. She looked at Cord sitting across the table from her.

  Neither spoke.

  Cord glanced up from the coffee mug and the whirlpool he’d been studying down in the cup, to her eyes and back. He seemed to have something to say but evidently didn’t know how to begin.

  Finally he said, “Alice, I want you to know Blake was my best friend. I’d never do anything to dishonor that friendship, but to tell you the truth, and this is being blunt, I’ve had a heck of a time not telling you how I feel. If I’m out of line, just say so.” He hesitated as she smiled without speaking. He continued, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there have been times when you had something tight fitting on, I had to go somewhere else to keep from being embarrassed. I hope you don’t think I’m a low-life asshole for telling you this.” He quit speaking and looked back to the little eddy of coffee, red-faced.

  Alice lowered her head until her chin was nearly on her chest. She smiled. The crop top she had on left little to the imagination. “Cord, I just realized something. I think I have deliberately tried to attract you, the way I look and the way I dress at times. The truth is, after Blake died, I didn’t think I could ever feel anything again. Another truth, I really don’t know what it is I feel. It might be that I’ve been without a bedmate for so long. Blake and I had a very active sex life, then, suddenly, I was forced to be celibate.” She smiled softly, and her eyes moistened. “Cord, when I looked up and saw you leaning against the doorframe the day you arrived, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a very long time.”

  She laughed and lowered her head once more. Now, she felt a flush creep over her face. “God, I can’t believe I’m talking like this.”

  Cord smiled broadly. “I’ll tell you a truth, now. I’ve been in the type work where you don’t really find much time to even think about love or a wife. But from the minute you met us when we arrived, I’ve had little else on my mind. Since we’re both adults, I think we should enter into a mutual agreement to ease both our conditions. And remember there is an asteroid going to kill us in a few days.” Now, it was his turn to chuckle.

  Alice quickly shushed him, giggled softly, and said, “We don’t want to wake everyone in the house, but the pact sounds pretty good to me.” She hesitated a moment before continuing. “Why are we sitting here talking?” She stood and crooked her finger at him.

  He rose from the chair, took her in his arms, and whispered. “I don’t know if I can wait until we get to the bedroom.”

  In a low, hushed tone she replied. “I can’t wait either, but it’s been a long dirty day. We both need a shower.”

  Within minutes, they had unashamedly stripped. Cord had always operated in the dark, but he was glad she left the light on so he could observe her beautiful body. Inside the shower, they stood under the water for some time, performing what was probably one of the longest kisses on record.

  ~~~

  It was six a.m. and Alice and Cord had been asleep a couple of hours, Cord lying with one leg across Alice’s legs and an arm across her waist. Susan knocked on the door and opened it. “You gonna sleep all . . . Oh, shit. Sorry.”

  As Susan backed out the door, Alice threw the sheet over Cord’s naked body.

  “What time is it?” Cord asked sitting up.

  Susan stood in the doorway, her back to them. “Six. I thought we were going to get an early start cooking meat this morning.” She snickered as she pulled the door closed and went down the hall. They could hear her laughing all the way to the kitchen.

  “I have to admit that was funny.” Alice said. She burst out laughing and walked to the bathroom. “We have to get started with our daily chores.”

  Ten minutes later, Alice walked into the kitchen and sat down gingerly. She was glad Stephan wasn’t close by when Susan said, “Good Lord! That good? I’m jealous.”

  Alice laid her head on the table. “Yes, that good . . . coffee, before I die.”

  Susan reached for the coffee pot, shook her head, and murmured, “I’m still jealous.” She poured Alice’s coffee as Cord walked into the kitchen. Susan punched him in the arm. “Way ta go.”

  ~~~

  “Mom. Have you heard the latest?” Mike rushed out into the yard, breathless.

  “No, honey, I haven’t. I’ve been out here gathering eggs. Why, what’s wrong?” Alice asked.

  “Mom, you won’t believe it! China actually set off neutron bombs today on their own people. There were riots by starving people, so they nuked them. They actually killed hundreds of thousands of their own people. Isn’t that awful?”

  “Oh, my God. Yes Mike, it’s terrible. I’m afraid it’s going to get worse before the day the asteroid is supposed to hit. Starving, thirsty people will do anything to survive . . . and it sounds like governments will, too.”

  “They’re also showing the asteroid coming toward us with pictures from the space lab or a satellite. Do you really think it will hit us if it’s real?”

  “Danged if I have an answer for you, Mike. I think we’ll all know for sure in nine more days. But I don’t think it’s true. I really don’t.”

  Mike looked thoughtful for a minute. “Well, I’m going to say it’s all a big fat lie, and nothing is going to happen in nine days. I get too scared thinking it might be true.” With that statement he turned and ran to ride his horse in the corral.

  ~~~

  Alice and Susan canned until they were ready to drop, but kept on throughout the long, hot day. At least they made a dent in the frozen meat.

  The three dehydrators were also running, making jerky.

  “My herb garden! I can put them in planters and place them under lights . . . and hope they’ll live,” Alice blurted out to Susan as they finished one batch in the dehydrator and started another.

  “That’s a good idea.” Susan wiped sweat from her brow with a wet rag and grabbed the pack of cigarettes from the table. “Damn, I hope the men stocked up on these. Bad enough being underground like a mole, but to be without cigarettes, I’d go mad for sure. Being a doctor, I know I shouldn’t smoke, but I smoke half a pack a day. Dammit, if I want one, I want one, and expect a pack to be there.” She yanked out a chair, plopped down, and lit the cigarette with a bright purple lighter. With smoke circling her head, she started to cry.

  “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I’m just so damned tired and stressed out. I work all day and think about why we are doing what we are doing. Then at night I dream about it. The dreams are more like nightmares. I’m in a deep black hole and can’t get out of it.”

  “Oh crap, you just had to do that.” Alice tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, failed, and burst into tears. “I hope the kids don’t walk in on us. I don’t want them upset.” She grabbed tissues, wiped her eyes, and blew her nose. “I smoke, too, and it will be bad down there for awhile with both of us bouncing off the walls.” Alice lit up, and savored the flavor of the cigarette she’d taken from the pack atop the refrigerator.

  “Tired isn’t the word I’d use . . . total exhaustion is more like it. The nights are too short, and the days too long. In my nightmares I’m running from some evil group of armed men and then I get shot in the back.” Alice stifled a yawn with her hand and shook her head. “I dream it every single night.”

  She was silent then spoke, “I wonder how the kids are doing taking the items down? You know those kids have worked hard the past few days. Bless their little hearts they’ve been regular little troopers and not complaining.”

  “I think I’ll walk through the house and see what else I want to take down to the ‘cave’.” Alice tr
udged wearily out the door, and up the stairs, towards the bedrooms.”

  ~ 15 ~

  Bloated bodies ripened in the heat, and flies gorged on the dead. The stench of death filled the air. FEMA set up incinerators in a number of locations in some of the major cities to burn the corpses, but thousands more still littered the streets. Diseases would soon appear like cholera and the plague . . . ending the lives of even more.

  All transportation was closed down under FEMA orders. No more planes, buses or trains moved unless they held Military men and supplies. Cities were blocked off, and no one could leave. Large metropolitan areas were nothing but out of control war zones. FEMA also set up areas of safety centers for families to go to. But even FEMA didn’t have the food and water available to take care of such a large population. Outbreaks of violence inside these safe havens quickly grew more numerous by the day, and the military was under orders to shoot to kill any troublemakers.

  ~~~

  Day six dawned with high humidity, making it hard to breathe. The news still covered demonstrations of unruly crowds, and the killing seemed to intensify each day.

  Now, soldiers began deserting their posts to go home. They were sick of firing on their own people.

  Private Allen Deeds was one such soldier. “Tony, I can’t do this shit anymore! I don’t give a rat’s ass if they call it desertion. I’m leaving here and heading home. Shit man, I keep picturing my brother or sister getting shot. This just ain’t fuckin’ right, man! Ain’t right at all! I’m busting out soon as I can.”

  “I’m with you, Al, but how the hell we gonna pull it off without getting our ass shot? Here we sit in Oklahoma City, and your family is in Kansas City and mine’s in Omaha. I’ve wanted to go home for quite some time. My family has no way of protecting themselves and I need to be with them.”

  “I’ve got it figured out . . . I think. We’re going to volunteer for the pick up squad.”

  “Whoa! Bullshit, man. I’m not gonna go pick up no stinkin’ bodies. No way.”

  “Shit, Tony, did I say anything about picking up corpses? Hell no! We’re gonna volunteer, but when we get a truck to scout the area, we simply keep driving ‘til we run out of gas. Guess we’ll have to walk a ways, but we’ll sure as hell be away from this place. Or, we might be able to steal some gas.”

  Without many volunteers for the pickup detail the next day, Al and Tony were selected to drive an old Ford flat bed truck. Some farmer must have used it for hauling hay, as straws were stuck on the bed. The gas tank was full. Holding his breath, Tony started the engine. Scared shitless wasn’t the word for how Allen felt. His hands shook and he was almost paralyzed with fear that someone would catch on before they made their get-a-way. The old truck lurched into gear, and Al drove from the compound onto the street.

  “Whew, that part is over.” Al sighed with relief. “Now, we just have to get through the check points.”

  The checkpoints were easy and they were waved on through. The BODY PICKUP DETAIL sign on top of the cab did wonders.

  Within an hour, they cleared the city, and were bouncing along on the rough back roads. They headed north, figuring taking I35 would be pretty stupid for a couple of deserters. That’d be asking for trouble.

  Somewhere near the Kansas border, a sharp rock on the gravel road cut into a tire, and it exploded like a blast from a shotgun. “Son-of-a-bitch!” Tony screamed. As he stopped in the middle of the deserted country lane, Tony said, “Ain’t this a bitch? Now, what the hell we gonna do? I don’t think I saw a spare tire or jack. Did you?”

  Al climbed up on the flat bed, stood with his hand shielding his eyes, and turned slowly around. “Hey, man, there’s a farm house ‘bout half a mile up the road, past that row of trees. Farmers usually have gas at least, even if they don’t have a spare to fit this thing.”

  “Yeah, and we just might get our fuckin’ asses shot to kingdom come, too. Farmers shoot first and ask questions later. I’m getting an awful feeling about all this. Maybe we should just start walking.”

  Al laughed and told him, “Shit, Tony, that awful feeling is hunger, you dumb-ass. Maybe we can bum somethin’ to eat, too. Fuck that walkin’. I’m drivin’ on up there. It was only one of the dual wheels that blew. Hell, maybe the folks will be understanding and help us. Country folks are pretty friendly sorts, in normal times. If we get shot, then it’s meant to be. What we done back in Oklahoma City wasn’t right, and if we’re killed, then it’s our judgment.”

  “I’m not going with you. I tell you that place is death. I feel it.”

  “Fine, you start walking, and the best of luck to you. I’m driving to that farm.” Allen climbed back in the cab and started the engine. “You comin’?”

  “You hard headed fucker, I can’t let you go in there alone.” Tony laughed, and jumped into the passenger seat.

  Allen eased the old truck into the farmyard. Daylight slowly disappeared as he pulled the truck up near a 100 gallon fuel tank set atop an old wooden frame.

  “Looks calm.” Tony whispered.

  “Let’s go up to the door and introduce ourselves,” Allen stated as he opened the door and swung to the ground.

  An old man came around the barn and drew a bead on them with a 12 gauge shotgun as they walked in front of the truck cab.

  “Hold it right there! Put your hands up. I’ll pull this trigger and kill you like a rabid dog, so don’t give me any shit. I have deer slugs in this gun.” The old man in dirty overalls fixed them with a steely gaze.

  Allen yelled out, “Sir, we mean you no harm. We’re trying to get to our families in Kansas City. We need to patch a tire and could use some gas.”

  The old man inched forward. “Don’t mind givin’ you a hand, but don’t make any funny moves, or I swear I’ll drop ya where ya stand.” The old farmer didn’t notice the big root growing across the ground from the huge maple tree. He stumbled and pulled the trigger by accident . . . hitting the half full fuel tank. The flatbed truck, Allen, and Tony were all consumed in a huge fireball.

  The old man, unharmed by the blast, slowly raised his head. “Damn, boys, didn’t mean to do that. Guess it was the Lord’s way of protecting me from whatever you were up to. Good books says you’ll get what’s coming’ to you.” As he slowly pulled himself to a standing position, he shook his head and said, “I didn’t need the gas anyhow. Damned tractor busted down a year ago. Wonder what the old woman’s got fixed for supper?” Halfway to the house he turned back. “I’d bury you boys if there was anything’ left to bury.” He cackled in laughter and slowly continued his journey toward the back porch.

  ~~~

  FEMA orders outside of the safe havens were to confiscate all guns from the population. Many folks refused and were shot dead where they stood . . . like James and Diane Lamar. Their home was one of the first hit by the gun collection squad in Springfield, Missouri.

  When Diane answered the door, four military men in blue hats stood there. “Yes?”

  The next thing she knew, a soldier barged through the door, slammed her down against the coffee table, breaking her rib.

  “We’re here to gather your guns,” he yelled, his rifle aimed about four inches from her face.

  “You registered six guns so we know you have them. Now hand them over.”

  James walked from the bedroom with a loaded .45 in his hand and aimed at the soldiers. “Like hell you or anyone else will take my guns,” he yelled, and started firing at the four soldiers.

  One fell immediately with a shot to the chest. The other three opened up on James, then turned and pumped several rounds into Diane.

  ~~~

  The ten men in the Chalet watched the bank of televisions showing live, world-wide coverage.

  “This is most entertaining,” Kolerad Klaus stated as he sipped a Bourbon and Coke. He threw his head back and laughed. “It’s going along as scheduled. We knew the populations and governments would over-react like this. I like the nice little touches. Like the anthrax in the Middle Eas
t, South Africa, and South America. Now how did that highly guarded sample get out of the Russian lab?”

  Jarmain Euclaid burst into a roar. “That was a great idea you had, Mr. Jowersky.”

  Peter Jowersky bowed deeply and lifted his glass towards the televisions. “To all you fools. May you die a hideous and painful death.” He whirled around as if he were a ballerina and smiled at Jarmain. “Anthrax was a nice touch, wasn’t it?”

  The other nine partners of Jarmain stood and joined in the salute to the dying world.

  “I wonder how much longer we’ll be getting live feeds? You know the number of reporters and cameramen killed daily are rapidly climbing.” The men gazed at Neil Swanson, a short computer nerd weasel, who’d made the statement. It hadn’t dawned on them their source of entertainment might come to a halt.

  ~~~

  “Girls I think you’ll be safe enough today to continue your canning. I’ve walked several miles and didn’t see a living creature. Not even a deer. It‘s strange, like this area is totally abandoned.” Cord, in a sweat-drenched, Army-green tee-shirt poured a large glass of iced tea as he spoke.

  It was eight in the morning, and the women had dragged their tired bones out of bed at five to face another long day of canning meat. Sweat formed little globules at the end of their noses that they had to constantly wipe away.

  “I don’t want to go into the cave until we have to. The kids need the sun and exercise,” Stephan said, coming in the back door from the barn. “Simon and Brittany are starting to fuss about the horses and other livestock being left alone.”

  “I know, and it’s breaking my heart to know we’ll have to abandon the livestock. They’re such loving, gentle creatures, and they have no choice in this.” Alice walked to the window above the sink and looked toward the barn and corrals. “Too bad we can’t take the chickens for fresh eggs.”