Patriots Awakening

by R. M. Strauhs

  At the same time, Cord found the barn tunnel and exit to be okay. After all, the high winds had already moved the barn over. He and the boys walked over to see if Stephan was having any trouble getting out of the house.

  “We’re fine, Cord. Wouldn’t want to be in there much, but it’s an escape in a hurry. Don’t know how long we can depend on it. The whole damn thing could cave in at any time. We’ll have to keep an eye on it pretty regularly from now on.”

  “Not much left of Blake’s beautiful farm, is there?” Cord looked around at all the devastation of the past few days. “Unreal, isn’t it?”

  Star, the mare, came running up, whinnying and snorting. She was tickled to death to see Mike. He ran to her, hugged her neck, and started crying. She was thin but looked to be in one piece. He jumped on her back and rode her up and down the road a couple times. “Man, it breaks my heart to leave her out here,” he said, wiping away tears.

  “Mike, I don’t think she’ll leave again. She has the brook and green grass here, and there’s that small cave with the overhang for protection from the rain. She’ll be fine,” Cord said. “Besides, since she knows you’re still around, she won’t want to leave. She knows this is her home.”

  At the supper table, everyone was quiet. Maybe it was the after effects of the quake, or maybe it was the thought of the asteroid coming tomorrow.

  “You know, we faired quite well from the quake. Lost one and a half escape routes, but Linda doesn’t have to worry anymore about the volcano vent. And the good news is, Star returned. Not a bad day after all,” Stephan laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “Yep, and don’t forget . . . Linda has a new worry, now . . . will the hair grow back in the scar.”

  “Oh, dad, you’re awful!” She feigned anger but couldn’t keep from laughing.

  “Old scar-head Linda,” Phillip sang out.

  Linda immediately whacked her brother on the shoulder.

  ~~~

  Bedtime drew near and the parents went to find their “very quiet” children. They found them all right . . . in the parents’ bedrooms. The kids had decided they wanted to stay close to them since it might be their last night alive. They were scared. Brittany even had Sweet Pea with her.

  The alarms had the volume knobs turned up to LOUD, so no one had to be separated from their family on this night. Cord didn’t have a family, so he was back in the control room looking through the periscope after Stephan and Ralph went to their rooms. They were ninety-nine percent sure this was a hoax, but that one percent still nagged at him. The only thing he saw in the night sky was about a million stars, and, now and then a wispy cloud floating by.

  “Pssst, hey good lookin, want some company?” Alice whispered at the door to the control room.

  Cord smiled and whispered back, “That all depends on what you have in mind. If you’re going to take advantage of me, hell yes, I want some company. Now I know why we put this twin bed in here.”

  ~ 20 ~

  Day 14

  Everyone in the Holden Cave was up by six o’clock that morning. It was the fourteenth day, the day the asteroid was supposed to hit earth. They ventured outside to see the sunrise. It was still a beautiful world, with the eastern sky filled with hues of yellows, pale rose, pink, orange, and purple. A high scattered cloud cover, with just enough moisture in it to reflect all the colors, was a site to behold.

  “Such a beautiful picture God has painted for us this morning,” Irma whispered. Softly she started singing, ‘Oh What a Beautiful Morning’.

  After viewing the sunrise for perhaps five minutes, Cord said, “We really shouldn’t be out here exposed like this,” and herded them back toward the tunnel.

  The happy mood changed and everyone walked slowly trying to soak in as much of the outside as possible. For all they knew, this would be the last time they’d see it.

  The somber adults sat in the living room drinking coffee, and the scared children stayed as close to their parents as possible. This was going to be a long day.

  Not one television station was on the air.

  “I’ll fix breakfast,” Irma offered. No one was hungry.

  Around nine o’clock, an alarm went off, and its shrill horn filled the cave. Everyone jumped, grabbed their rifles and ran to the control room. It was an alarm from one of the tunnels . . . the one blocked at the end . . . the long tunnel. Cord hit the switch to kill the sound. He and the other two men scanned all the monitors showing the outside. Nothing to be seen.

  “Looks like it’s only the one breach. Get the kids in the barn tunnel and lock the steel door,” Stephan shouted to the women. “Ralph, you stay at the controls and shout out if you see anything. The rest of you guys come with me and stay alert.”

  Hearts pounding, the women marched the smaller boys and all the girls into the tunnel towards the barn. They decided to shut two steel doors between them and the compound. That left two more steel doors between them and the outside barn entrance. Alice, Susan, and Linda were armed with rifles and side arms. Irma carried a radio and flashlight.

  The men quietly opened the first door to the tunnel . . . nothing. Cord motioned for the boys to fan out and cover the tunnel and wait there. He and Stephan would enter.

  Sweat popped out on Cord’s and Stephan’s faces as they reached the next steel door. A light tapping came from the other side. It was Morse code.

  H E L P - F R I E N D L Y - T W O - M A L E S -

  T W O - F E M A L E S - T W O - K I D S

  “So what do you think?” Cord spoke in a whisper.

  “Stand back. I’ll open it, but shoot to kill if anything looks wrong.”

  Stephan tapped on the door. H A N D S - U P

  A reply tapping - Y E S.

  He slowly opened the lock, then shoved the door open wide. Cord was ready to open fire. Four dirty, ragged-looking Mexican adults stood there with their hands in the air. Two small children, about four and six years of age, sat on the ground crying.

  Stephan frisked them as Cord stood ready to fire. They had no weapons on their persons or in their meager possessions. Stephan quickly scanned the area of the floor and saw nothing.

  “Okay, come on in.” Stephan said quietly.

  The trembling people didn’t say one word. They walked through the tunnel with the automatic weapons aimed at them. Stephan motioned for them to sit at the kitchen table. Cord gave the all clear on the radio, and the women and kids started back to the compound from the tunnels. The young men entered the room carrying weapons, and the new arrivals seemed even more frightened, if that was possible. They anxiously looked from one person to another and to their guns.

  “Who are you, and how did you get into that tunnel?” Stephan asked pulling out a chair, propping one foot on it looking down at them.

  A short stocky man about thirty years of age spoke first. “I’m Raul Jimenez, and this is my wife Juanita, and my son Emanuel.” Raul motioned to the other man. “This is our friend, Enrique Martinez; his wife’s name is Maria, and their daughter, Margarita. We’re friends and neighbors. We are good people.”

  “Sir, we were in the tunnel because we saw the light,” explained Enrique, who was also about thirty years of age. “You see, we lived in Birch Creek when the trouble started. People were getting shot and their food taken, and the women raped right on the streets. It was like wild animals were loose. I knew of a small cave on the hill a mile or so from town. I’d explored the cave with a group of fireman searching for a lost child, and so I figured the cave would be a good place for us to hide.

  “We heard voices and spotted some armed thugs pointing towards the cave . . . and they climbed toward us. I’d brought a pack with a head lamp, rope, and flashlights, and I led our group farther back in the cave. I figured going into the bowels of that mountain was preferable to our wives being raped and all of us murdered. The next day we found an underground river and followed it for many miles, hoping we’d see an opening along the way. Anything was better than what we’d left.

&
nbsp; Then, the earthquake hit. We thought it was the asteroid at first. With rocks falling all over the place, we’re lucky we lived through it. We continued walking until we saw a speck of light and hoped it was daylight. It was the light in the tunnel you found us in. The wall had given away some, and we pulled the rest down with our hands.” Enrique held up his bloody hands for Stephan to see, as did Raul and the two women.”

  By now, Alice, Susan, and Irma had joined the men in the kitchen listening to the story. The kids were told to stay in the main room or go to their bedrooms.

  “Where did you learn Morse code?” Cord asked.

  “I learned it from my father. He was in the Navy and taught me,” Raul answered.

  “What do you men and women do or know how to do?” Stephan asked.

  Raul spoke up, “I was a policeman in Birch Creek. My wife is an art teacher.”

  Next, Enrique stated he’d been a fireman, and his wife a nurse. “I can also handle firearms. I was in the Army for two years.”

  “Please don’t turn us out, mister.” Juanita put her bloody hands on her face and began sobbing.

  Stephan and Cord looked at one another and agreed with a nod that they trusted them.

  Alice joined in the conversation. “Susan is a doctor. She’ll look after your hands while I round up some clean clothes so you can take a shower. Irma’s already preparing lunch.”

  “Let me have a look at those bloody hands,” Susan said “Are the children okay?”

  ~~~

  No one thought about the asteroid as they gathered clothing and toiletries for the new residents. Susan doctored their hands, which looked worse than they really were. Soon everyone sat eating hamburgers and fries, followed by a large slice of double fudge chocolate cake.

  The little ones fell asleep at the table. Alice smiled at them and said, “I guess it’s time we better figure out some sleeping arrangements for everyone.”

  “Please don’t go to any trouble for us,” Juanita said. “We can sleep anywhere.”

  “Phillip, how about you bunking in with Simon?” Alice asked. “He has the fish tank, and I think it would be easier to move you in with him.”

  “Sure, that’s okay with me.”

  “Come on. I’ll help you move in,” Simon yelled, running out the door.

  “Okay, that’s one room empty. Linda do you want to share with me, or would you rather I move in with you?”

  “That’s fine, Alice. I can move in with you. I have less stuff to move.”

  Alice thought, Wish I was the one moving . . . into Cord’s room. Maybe Linda’s a heavy sleeper and I can sneak out to be with Cord. Being with Cord pretty much dominated her thoughts these days when she wasn’t busy with some task.

  Alice pulled her thoughts up short. “Well, that leaves us with two rooms open. Give us a few minutes, and you can put your babies to bed.” With that, Alice and the girls went to the storeroom to find bedding for the new cave dwellers.

  ~~~

  Stephan and Cord inspected the area in the tunnel the couples came through. The end was still blocked off tight to the outside opening, and they locked the first steel door. The hole wasn’t very large the group had climbed through from inside the mountain, but they had made it. The men decided to unscrew all the light bulbs in that area between the first and second steel doors. Maybe someone else was exploring the same path this group took, and that light would draw them like flies to the tunnel. After securing the second steel door hiding the dark tunnel, they returned to the control room.

  “How are things going?” Stephan asked quietly.

  “Nothing happening out there and it looks like a beautiful day for an asteroid to hit,” Ralph said, grinning from ear to ear.

  ~~~

  “Listen up all you cave dwellers. We’re going to have a party. Everyone’s welcome. Come one, come all. We’re going to sing and dance our hearts out.” Alice’s soft voice carried through the intercom system of the cave.

  Irma set the table with hotdogs, buns, coffee, punch, cookies, and candy.

  Stephan had the CD’s in his hand and chose, ‘The Twist’, to kick it off. “An oldie, but a goody,” he yelled above the music. He ran out in the main room, pulled Susan to the center of the room, and they started doing the twist. The kids stared in wonderment. They’d never seen that dance before. Then, Cord and Alice began dancing, and it wasn’t long before Raul and Juanita jumped in, followed by Enrique and Maria. Over on the side, Irma and Ralph danced the best they could with his crutches in the way.

  “We have party poopers,” Stephan yelled out. “Chicken, chicken, chicken. You kids are wallflowers. Come on and enjoy.”

  The kids never moved.

  “Now we’re going to do the limbo,” Alice said, running to get a broom. “Everyone will try at least one time. No party poopers are allowed.”

  They laughed until they cried as one after another fell on their butts trying to go under the broom. “The winner is . . . Simon.” Alice yelled and clapped her hands.

  “Next is an easy one everyone can do. It’s the Hokey Pokey,” Susan announced. “Come on everyone, form a circle.” Soon legs were kicking and shaking to the music.

  Everyone was dancing except little Emanuel and Margarita. They were still very shy and sat off in the corner watching all the activities, laughing and clapping their little hands.

  “Now, we are going to do Karaoke. I know some of you can’t carry a tune in a bucket but don’t let that stop you. Who’s going to be first?” Irma asked.

  “I will.” Cord trotted to the center of the room. “My first number will be . . . and he started belting out, ‘I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing,’ in an awful, screechy voice.

  Boos immediately followed from most everyone. “You stink bad,” yelled Simon.

  Cord then started singing, ‘Jail House Rock’. No boo’s were heard.

  “You want me to sing another one or shut up?”

  More, more, more shouted the audience.

  He then broke into, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’, and finished with, ‘Hound Dog’. He took a deep bow to a loud round of applause.

  “My turn,” Linda yelled as she ran to the center of the room and sang,‘Music’. She was, of course, a hit with the crowd but refused to sing another song.

  Maria and Juanita took their turn next. They sang, ‘Bidi Bidi Bom Bom’. The house went wild and joined in.

  Raul and Enrique couldn’t let their wives outdo them, so they did a great job with, ‘Livin’ La Vita Loca’. They were terrific performers and were called on for an encore but declined.

  Ralph pointed to his sons, “Your turn guys.”

  The boys walked silently to the floor and chose, ‘I Feel Good’. They were embarrassed but milked the applause for all it was worth.

  Cord took the microphone. “Anyone else have a song you’d like to debut here tonight? Remember this could be the start of a lucrative record career. No takers huh? I’ll turn it back over to Alice. But first I want to know . . . HAVEN’T WE HAD FUN?”

  Whoops and yells and wolf whistles filled the room.

  “Okay, I think it’s time for a break and refreshments.” Alice said, walking to the center of the room. “Everyone go to the kitchen for hotdogs, punch and cookies.” The smaller kids took off on a dead run to be first in line.

  “I’m checking the periscope while everyone is distracted in the kitchen,” Cord whispered to Stephan. “You comin’?”

  Stephan looked at his watch and noted the time. “Twenty hundred and we’re still alive.

  ~ 21 ~

  Day fifteen arrived, and the world was still the big blue marble floating on its course around the sun. No asteroid had slammed into the earth and smashed it to smithereens. The adults partied with the kids until after midnight. The children insisted on sleeping in the rooms with the parents, “just one more night.”

  Cord and Stephan felt no error in calculation could have occurred to make the asteroid’s arrival late. Nothing could be seen t
hrough the periscope. It had to have been a hoax played out by a handful of power hungry people determined to rule the world, even if they had to destroy and kill untold millions in the process. Who were these people, and where were they located?

  Stephan let everyone sleep in, opting not to blare some obnoxious sounds from the intercom to awaken the complex. He and Cord had scheduled things to do and didn’t need distractions.

  It was seven in the morning, the fifteenth day, and the “check in” was to start. The Ranger groups had one hour to let the others know they were still alive and well.

  In the control room, Cord asked, “Are we ready?”

  “Yep! Go ahead,” Stephan answered and pulled up a chair.

  “Okay, here goes.” Cord keyed the short wave radio transmitter button. “Macaroon here, twenty-two, over,” and released the mic button.

  Immediately, they heard, “Applegate here, eighteen.” Several seconds later came, “Johnny Apple Tree here, fourteen.”

  Smiles crossed Stephan and Cord’s mouths.

  “Well, good old Charlie and Freddy made it through,” Stephan commented.

  Ralph stood at the door of the control room. “Would one of you tell me what they’re saying?”

  “Morning, Ralph.” Cord said. “I’ll be happy to explain. Today is the day our groups check in. What you are listening to is a Ranger using a nickname. The number they give is the amount of people they have with them in their compounds.”

  “Garbage Can here, you all, thirty six,” announced another voice.

  “That’s Ryan,” Cord chuckled. He and Ryan were good friends from way back.

  Seconds, then minutes passed by. They had already lost Seth and didn’t want anymore of their group captured or dead. Stephan was getting nervous, and he could tell Cord felt the same way from the way he paced the room.

  “Beep, Beep, The Road Rabbit says howdy, twenty eight.” burped from the short wave.