Patriots Awakening

by R. M. Strauhs

  “Any other homes down this valley road?” Anita asked.

  “Don’t know. This is as far as we traveled,” Brandon answered as his arms circled his wife’s waist. “I can jump on the bike and go see. Anyone want to explore what’s down the road with me?” he yelled to the guys as he straddled his bike.

  ~~~

  The men rode off once more. A report from a rifle made them skid to a stop and seek cover fast. An old lady yelled at them to go away.

  Stephan replied loudly from behind a tree they meant no harm and were just looking for abandoned places to live, that the group was already occupying two homes up the road.

  Stephan stood up with his hands in the air. “Ma’am, please. We’re not bad men and have no intention of hurting you.”

  One by one, the men came out of hiding with their hands in the air and were met by a lady at least six feet tall and built sturdy as a tank. She must have been at least sixty but acted thirty.

  “My name is Stephan. I live up the mountain at the Alice Holden place. We all live there, have for the past year. Three families who lived with us have moved into the two homes back up the road.”

  “You hold it right there. Those homes are not abandoned,” she yelled.

  “Yes ma’am, they are. The one next to you . . . well a Mary and Henry left a letter. Their parents died, and Mary and Henry took their own lives when they ran out of medicine. We found their open grave up on the side of the hill next to their parent’s. The next home we found had been empty for many months. A car was missing, but the truck was there.” Stephan didn’t tell her they’d been murdered.

  “Oh, my, that’s awful news. Yes, Mary and Henry hadn’t been well. It doesn’t surprise me at all . . . without their medicine . . .” her voice trailed off.

  “I’m sorry you lost your friends. We did take care of their graves and gave them a proper burial,” Brandon told the lady.

  “I hate to bring this up, but do you know of any other places down this valley?” Stephan asked.

  “Matter of fact, there is one right around the bend. It belonged to my daughter and her husband. Well, I own the land, and they built on it. I ran them off when they started saying that Jarmain was the true leader of the world. Told them never to come back, or they’d both eat a bullet. They knew I’d do it, too, so they won’t be back. You guys go look at the place and see if you want to live there. Someone should get some use out of it. Be my guest. Oh, my name is Helen. It’ll be nice to have decent folks near me.” With that she walked back inside her large, two-story home. “I have fresh eggs,” she yelled over her shoulder.

  The men returned to the bikes and let out a sigh of relief as they rode around the bend out of sight. There sat a very nice two-story brick home nestled close to the mountain. “WOW,” David said when he saw it.

  There were two bedrooms downstairs, and two upstairs, with a living room, den, dining room, kitchen, and basement.

  “Plenty of room here, David, if you, and Bev want to join Anita and me.” Brandon commented.

  “Hmmm, I was going to ask if you and Anita wanted to join me and Bev,” he laughed.

  “Guess it’s settled, then,” Stephan said. “Better go tell your brides.”

  By the end of the fourth day, those that remained in the cave were Stephan, Susan and their three kids, along with Cord, and Alice and her three kids. “I think this is how we started out,” Alice laughed as she looked around the dinner table. “Going to be lonely.”

  ~ 34~

  Denver buzzed with activity. Mayor William Knight had survived and called a meeting of the community, which was now quite small. The census count showed only 152,765 now lived in the metro area from a population triple of that a year ago. He announced he needed everyone to help get the city on its feet before winter hit. After all, Denver was the center of the world now, with the communications and news system. Maybe the new Capitol would set up there since Washington D. C. was washed away.

  Colorado governor, Clancy Ransfield, would give up the capitol building to the President. Clancy was one of those do nothing governors who promised a lot before the election but sat on his ass afterward. He would have been a one-term governor had there been another election. Now, during the crisis, he had no idea what to do from one minute until the next.

  He and his wife would also have to give up the Governor’s mansion for the President and first lady. Felecia, his young, attractive wife was furious at the idea and pelted the white haired Clancy with reasons why they shouldn’t move every time he was in earshot.

  The airport runways had been cleared of all debris. Not much they could clean around the terminal and concourse area because of heavy chunks of concrete, but they cleaned what they could. At least the runways were open if and when the President decided to fly in. However, the lights along the runway were still not repaired, and the Mayor prayed the President would come in daylight . . . if he came at all.

  The telephone system was up and running in the metro area within two months.

  All electric lines were repaired, as was the wind generating “farm” north of Denver, so they had plenty of power. The city water system was repaired, so homes had fresh water. The Mayor paid the workers with fifty pound sacks of flour, rice, beans, sugar, and canned meat from a secret storage location the city had hidden away.

  Some people had used propane gas to fuel their homes in the past, but the tanks were empty. Many homes had fireplaces, so wood was cut and stacked to dry. Trucking it into the city was a problem due to the fuel shortage. A man brought his horses and wagon and started hauling loads of fire wood in. He would swap wood for food and fresh vegetables. Soon more and more wagons were put into use.

  Another man started making wood cook stoves. He also bartered them for items he could use. His brother made some wood heating stoves. Soon they had more customers than they could handle.

  Another person figured out a way to make solar panels for heat and warm water.

  A few people walked or rode bikes several miles to the Cherry Creek and Chatfield reservoirs to catch fish and bartered them.

  Others hunted for Elk and Deer and brought it into town where people were eager to trade for fresh meat.

  Farmer’s wives planted extra large gardens, knowing they couldn’t use it all if canned, so they sold fresh produce in the city. They also took along homemade butter and fresh eggs.

  Farmers planted more corn than ever before. They stored corn for the animals for winter, and sacks for seed planting come next spring. Their wives canned all they could. What corn was left was husked and ground it into a coarse cornmeal to sell in the city. Other farmers raised wheat and ground it into coarse flour to be sold.

  A couple of folks brought containers of fresh honey into town and sold it instantly. Some families contracted with farmers for milk daily and would go to the farm to pick it up.

  ~~~

  A couple of old maid sisters in their 40’s had thought ahead. Thelma and Sadie Trudeau hadn’t believed in the asteroid story and had gone to the abandoned stores after dark and taken out material, threads, needles, buttons, zippers, Velcro, and yarn. No one else touched these items, so they had a field day filling their old two-story home with them. They also took blankets and comforters. The event happened in hot weather last year, so no one thought to grab those items during the rush on the stores. Now they were all set to take a blanket and trade for food.

  An antique treadle sewing machine could make shirts or dresses when people were starting to wear threadbare clothing. The girls also grabbed dress shirts, sports coats, dress shoes, ties, belts, socks, and slacks, as well as a dozen suits to have for the important men of the city to barter for.

  Baby blankets and clothing were also on their list of priorities, and the Trudeau sisters were set to barter for food all winter. They had made it through the last winter on canned goods they had for an emergency. This winter, their stash would be gone.

  The sisters stayed in the basement during the stifling h
ot summer and faired quite well. In the winter, they lived in one closed off room in the basement and wore ski clothing and slept in sleeping bags. What heat they had came from a small apartment sized propane cook stove they moved to the basement, and thanked God daily they’d had the 500 gallon tank filled the week before the asteroid story broke.

  Thelma and Sadie were determined they would not be caught by the enemy forces, and they weren’t.

  After the liberation, the sisters planted a garden in the back yard. A few fresh vegetables were better than none. Thelma, always the tomboy, rode her old bike to the lake for fish, and the woods for game. They were eating quite well during the summer and cooked on a small Bar-B-Q grill off the back porch.

  ~~~

  When Dick Maddox pulled the Park Service truck in front of their home, Gail began crying. “Oh, this breaks my heart to see how it has gone to pot without our care.”

  Dick and Rocky immediately checked out the house for intruders and found it in good shape.

  “Guys, I have to go to bed and rest this leg. Using the clutch has done me in. Rocky and Amanda, you guys are like my kids. I want you both to feel welcome to visit anytime. If we can help in any way, call on the shortwave.” Dick gave them a big hug and immediately went to bed. Tomorrow he would have to get busy around the place and start planning for winter.

  Rocky checked the short wave. It worked. He flipped a switch. “Mac, you copy? Snug as a bug.” He’d notified Alice her aunt and uncle were home safe and sound. Rocky tuned the radio to KOOL . . . where he hoped he could once more be the DJ.

  Gail hugged and kissed both kids goodbye and made them promise they’d come back for a visit. She walked back into the house and started scrubbing the kitchen.

  ~~~

  Rocky and Amanda drove to the radio station after checking out the home they had lived in with the short wave. He used the short wave long enough to notify Dick and Gail they’d made it to Denver okay in the Park Service truck.

  No one was in the radio studio. He walked over and flipped some switches and the radio sprang to life.

  “Hello Denver and surrounding area. This is Rocky Top coming to you live from KOOL radio. I’m going to sit back and spin and grin the day away. Now, to honor this first broadcast, here is ‘Celebration’. You all sing along, ‘cause we do have lots to celebrate.”

  Rocky grabbed Amanda and hugged her tightly. “You know sweetheart, our baby is going to be born in a brand new land. He will have every chance to make it big and die an old, wealthy man.”

  “Yes, dear, she might even be President,” Amanda answered.

  ~~~

  In Boise, Idaho, the Mayor, Justin Clements had the same restoration and clean up going as Denver. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and the Representatives and Senators had all been executed, so they decided to have a fast election in the Boise area. Sean’s name was submitted for Governor since he and his unit were the leaders in the assault to liberate the city. Fred was chosen to be Sean’s Lt. Governor in the race. The people felt it was time to have someone in office who could think fast and act quickly. It was a simple election . . . no one ran against Sean and Fred.

  So on August first, Sean O’Hara and Fredrick Lies were sworn in as Idaho’s new Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

  Joe was about to bust his buttons that his brother-in-law was now Lt. Governor. He ran straight to the short wave. “Sean’s camp, here. Group, do you copy? Over.”

  “Stephan’s camp copies. Over.”

  “This is Joe. Sean has just been elected governor of Idaho, and Fred is his Lieutenant Governor. Over.”

  “Holy Shit! Wow! Congratulations to all of you. Out,” Cord shouted.

  Next, Joe called Denver to report the news.

  “This is a Special Report,” anchor, Gracie Bennett said from the Denver Television News Bureau. “I’ve been given word that Special Forces Officer, Sean O’Hara, and another member of his squad, Fredrick Lies, have been elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the state of Idaho. Governor O’Hara planned and led the assault to liberate Boise. I’m also told Mayor Clements has done a terrific job of getting the power, water, and phones back up and running in Boise. The city is well on its way to recovery. Congratulations to Idaho for a job well done”

  “Oh, man, Sean a governor. It blows my mind,” Stephan said when he heard the news.

  “Can you picture Fred Lies in a suit sitting behind a desk?” Cord snickered.

  “Well, they can have that job. You couldn’t pay me enough to do it,” Stephan laughed.

  “What are we going to do?” Cord asked. “We can’t spend the rest of our lives sitting on top of this mountain doing nothing. I mean, here we are, our entire group is sitting in this location doing squat. The country is starting over, and we should be on the ground floor of something that will not only help our country but will secure our family’s future.”

  “I know, and I’ve been giving it some thought. We’re back to before Henry Ford in time. What fuel reserves are out there will soon be depleted. You remember seeing that saw mill near the village? What if we make wagons and carriages? We have a whole mountain of trees for lumber. We can use the metal off the old cars for the wooden wheel covers. We can get some horses and pull them to Pueblo to sell them.”

  Susan and Alice had walked up. “That’s a great idea Stephan. We can all pitch in and do what we can, like sanding or painting.”

  “I’ll go for it too. Heck, we have to do something,” Alice commented.

  “I have the perfect name,” Stephan said. “Blake Mountain Carriage and Wagon Company.”

  “That’s fabulous,” Alice said and started to cry. “Thank you, for remembering Blake.”

  “How about, Blake’s Solar Powered Cars,” Cord asked. “Right now would be the time to perfect and build those. No fuel needed, just the sun.”

  “Wow, shit man, here I’ve been trying to redo the past, and you’re thinking future.”

  “Why can’t we have both? Wagons and buggies for the poorer folks and solar for the more affluent,” Alice asked. “We have ten men, and they could be divided into two groups. The women could do what they can to help in both areas.”

  “Good idea, Alice,” Stephan said. “We can start on the buggies now and stop when the snows hit. During the winter months we can draw up plans and experiment on the solar ones. Let’s go discuss the ideas with the others.”

  Stephan and Cord jumped on their bikes and roared down the mountain to the valley.

  ~~~

  A member of the Mr. Twister group, Tom Galloway and his small band of patriots had found something to do in Arizona. The ranch where they’d been staying had a small herd of cattle. They went out and rounded up every cow they could find. They were going to be Cattle Barons. The old man and woman who owned the ranch invested in a two-year-old bull just before the asteroid scare. Half the herd was saved through the long winter. Some got away and others died. But now they were well on their way to building a good-sized herd with the help of Tom and his guys. Tom had been made a full partner with the couple.

  ~~~

  Group member, David Abraham, in Texas, found a nice spread in West Texas and had a good-sized herd rounded up. He knew beef would be a way to fast wealth in the new country. He also was accumulating quite a herd of horses. Heck, if buggies had to be built and used for transportation, he was going to supply the horses to pull them or be ridden. His partner was Hernando, the cowboy who helped save his camp during the attack.

  ~~~

  George Meek, another group member in Massachusetts, started a fishing boat building business. He had salvaged all the boats he could find, and repaired them and built new ones. He knew, like cattle, fishing would be a money-making business for the future.

  ~~~

  Like the President, Vice President Jo Ann Barnes had been safely housed, along with a few members of the Senate and House. Several elected officials were on trips and weren’t taken to safety in time. If a
ny had survived, they had sent no word.

  Jo Ann Barnes made contact with the President and was escorted to Denver by a group of Colorado and Montana militia members. Their entry into the city was kept secret, and they were secreted in a mountain lodge, which survived all the storms because the lodge was built from thick logs.

  At General Parker’s complex in Washington State, a meeting took place to discuss the possibility of Denver becoming the new U.S. Capitol, and the consensus was overwhelming in favor.

  The President, his aides and their families, would fly into Denver unannounced for security reasons. Air Force One was available to carry all the people accompanying the President, and Air Force Two would carry supplies and such. Depending on the fuel supply available, they would keep shuttling the planes back and forth, bringing in the needed supplies and personnel.

  When all the important issues had been discussed, the President stood and spoke with a smile on his face. “I know all of you are as anxious to start living above ground like human beings as I am. Let’s be ready to land in Denver by ten tomorrow morning.”

  ~~~

  Four limousines sat at the Denver airport for days in case the President did decide to pay them a visit. The men chosen to drive the cars were the Mayor’s four sons, Larry, Billy, Mitchell, and Scott. The vehicles sat in a hangar out of sight, but the boys stayed at the entrance, watching for incoming planes. They had to arrive at their posts by six every morning and not leave until eight at night. The days were spent playing cards and board games, or taking naps.

  The roar of a plane jolted them from their boredom, and they ran out for a better look. It was Air Force One! Right behind it was Air Force Two. The guys jumped into the limos and drove down the tarmac to where Air Force One had stopped.

  Scott grabbed his radio and yelled, “Dad, we have company. Company has arrived.”