Forsaken World (Book 1): Innocence Lost

by Watson, Thomas A.

  Lance just grunted as he collapsed on the couch. Jennifer came over carrying his laptop. “Guys, your parents want to talk to you,” she said, putting the laptop on the coffee table.

  Looking at the screen, they saw their parents looking at them. “Hi, Mom and Dad,” Lance said with a weak smile.

  “Baby, you and Ian did really good work today,” his mom smiled.

  “Hi, Mom, Dad,” Ian said, lifting his head off the couch. “Have you had any trouble there?”

  “No, son, we’re fine.” Ian’s dad smiled with longing.

  Lance’s dad shook his head. “Boys, you two made Doug and I look bad. It took us longer to put that one section than it did for you two to put up one whole side.”

  Feeling drained, Lance grinned as Jennifer put glasses of tea in their hands. “Well, Dad, after watching you two, we saw what worked and what didn’t.”

  The others came over to sit on the couch with Ian and Lance and talked to the parents and were soon in better spirts. Very little was said about the hell around them. Instead, they just enjoyed the time together.

  Chapter 18

  March 17

  With his body sore with any movement, Ian climbed into the electric buggy and backed out of the ATV shed. Lance was in the other buggy, waiting at the end of the ATV shed. “This shit sucks,” Ian mumbled, pulling up behind Lance.

  Since barbwire surrounded them, they had to drive out the front gate and around the fence to where they had stopped yesterday. Half the barbwire was slack, and none of the razor wire had been spread out yet.

  Climbing out of the buggies, they both just stared down the loose fence line they still had to do. Each fence line was just over three hundred and forty yards long, and they weren’t even halfway on the third strand on the north fence line.

  Turning to the east fence line, Lance grinned, seeing the nine-foot-tall barbwire fence with only six inches between each strand. “I’ll feel better after we get the fence up.”

  “I’ll feel better when we get the other cameras and motion detectors up.”

  Grabbing the cordless drill and the fence puller, Lance glanced over at Ian. “Yeah, but I’m glad we only have to put the damn cameras and motion detectors up since the cable was already laid out.”

  “If we would’ve known the cabin was like some super survival retreat like those TV shows, we could’ve helped. They just kept saying it was a hunting cabin,” Ian groaned, hooking up the puller.

  Watching Ian crank the handle and the strand of barbwire getting tighter, Lance nodded. “That’s good; let’s get it on the trees.” Walking down the line, they started with the trees the wire was further away from first. Yesterday had taught them some valuable lessons. Pulling out a one-inch-long piece of steel with a hole on each end, Lance put heavy, four-inch-long wood screws in the holes. Pushing the barbwire over to the tree carefully, Lance trapped it with the clamp and drilled the screws into the tree, leaving a small gap so they could tighten the barbwire up.

  Waiting for Lance to finish, Ian pulled out a clamp. “I understand their reason, but come on; we wouldn’t have said anything.”

  “I’m just glad we had a place to run to that had supplies,” Lance said, putting another clamp on the other side of the tree. Pulling out some wire cutters, Lance cut the barbs near the clamps so the barbwire could slide through and tighten up the wire.

  As Lance walked past him, Ian sighed. “Guess I am acting like a little girl.”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t upset about it, but I respect their decision, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Man, if we would’ve known about this, we wouldn’t have to go and look up what’s next. We would know what’s here.”

  After Ian tacked up the barbwire, he walked past Lance to the next tree. “Dad told me Mom doesn’t know all the stuff out here. They only showed them the bunker, and they added clothes of different sizes, hygiene stuff, and other things they never thought of.”

  When Lance finished, he stood up as Ian started on the next tree. “Yeah, Dad told me last night he thought Mom would’ve been mad, but she wasn’t really. She was only upset Dad hadn’t told her about it sooner and the money he spent. That’s why Dad and Mr. Bill decided not to tell them about the shop storage area.”

  “You know they have two more containers buried near the creek, and Doug has a small container buried somewhere,” Ian said, walking past Lance.

  “It’s going to take us weeks just to go through the bunker and that much time to go through the shop. He say what was in them?”

  “The two big ones are supplies in case something happens at the cabin like fire,” Ian said, getting up and walking to the next tree. “Dad wouldn’t say what was in Doug’s container or where it was.”

  Driving the screw into the tree, Lance grunted. “You think we can find out where it is on the master computer?”

  Ian pulled out a clamp. “Everything here is on that computer,” he said, squeezing the trigger on the drill. Pulling out another screw, Ian drove it in the second hole, pulling the wire to the tree. “It’s going to take months just to go over what’s in the computer.”

  Feeling like they had so much to do, Lance was beginning to think they would still be doing work and finding new things out when he had gray hair. “We will just follow the things laid out and explore what we can.”

  Inside, Jennifer was running a cable out of the bunker to the computer in the basement. The master control had hard lines run in for the cameras and a few motion detectors out but had no connection to the cabin. Running the cable to the computer, Jennifer plugged it to the spot Mr. Johnathan told her to. “How are they doing?” she called out, watching the computer connecting the master control to the network.

  “They just started on another wire,” Allie called out. “There’s a deer on the road coming up.”

  “Where’s Dino?” Jennifer asked, grabbing the mouse and clicking to put the master control on the wireless.

  “He’s sitting down by the buggies,” Carrie said as Jennifer walked in, carrying the chair from the desk of the basement computer.

  Setting it down, Jennifer dropped in it and clicked on the wireless and saw Mr. Johnathan and Mr. Bill looking at her in a small window on the primary screen. “Okay, I have it set up.”

  “Good girl,” Mr. Johnathan said. “Now, I want you to open the security folder to lock outside access to the monitors.”

  “Wait, if I do that, then we won’t be able to talk to you anymore.”

  “No, Jennifer, you are going to allow this computer access, but any other access will have to be approved.”

  Nodding, Jennifer looked over at the monitors showing the cameras. “Wow, they are really moving now.”

  Lance was riding on the roof of the buggy as Ian pulled up to trees for him to secure the barbwire. Both dads laughed, and Mr. Bill leaned in front of his webcam. “They will be done by tonight.”

  “Okay, Mr. Johnathan, I did it and gave your connection approval.”

  “Good, Jennifer, now in the security folder, you will see ‘powerhouse.’ Click it open,” Mr. Johnathan told her, and she nodded. “Do you see the button that says ‘ARM?’”

  “Yes sir; it’s really big.”

  “Click it and then the confirmation button.”

  When Jennifer finished, the screen above the main monitor that displayed powerhouse status turned red with “ARMED” in big, bold letters at the top. “What the hell did I just do?”

  “If anyone tries to enter the powerhouse, they will die. The door is electrified like the cabin was. Call the boys, and tell them they can’t go there unless it’s disarmed.”

  Jennifer grabbed the microphone. “Lance, Ian, don’t go near the powerhouse, or you will get killed.”

  “Is something coming?” Lance asked as she watched the buggy stop on one of the screens.

  “No, the computer armed the powerhouse like the cabin was.”

  “What the hell did you do?” Lance snapped.

  “Wha
t your dad and Mr. Bill told me to.”

  She watched Lance lean over to look down at Ian and could tell they were talking. “Okay, but please don’t arm the house,” Lance called back, and she watched Ian drive the buggy next to a tree and Lance use the drill to attach the top wire to it.

  “Duh,” Jennifer called out then put the radio down. “Your sons think I’m stupid.”

  “No they don’t, Jennifer,” Mr. Bill laughed.

  As the boys worked outside, the parents helped Jennifer and the girls go through the computer and print the layout for supplies in the cabin. All the parents got on the screen to tell them bye because they wanted to shut down and save some battery for that night. When Jennifer printed out the different areas, she looked on each page to see a colored bar at the top. The boxes that filled the floor in the bunker each had a piece of colored tape on the top corresponding with each page.

  Some of the boxes, Jennifer couldn’t budge even with Allie and Carrie helping. What she could move, she started placing near the areas they were supposed to go. Every time she passed the girls to get another box, Jennifer found them staring, barely blinking as they watched the screens.

  With the south aisle almost empty of boxes on the floor, Jennifer dropped the last box beside the pantry. Grabbing a bottle of water, she headed back downstairs and stopped behind the girls. “Can I go pee?” Allie asked, never taking her eyes off the screens.

  “Why don’t both of you go,” Jennifer said, sitting in the other chair.

  “Is lunch ready?” the radio squawked beside her with Ian’s voice.

  Glancing over at the big clock on the wall, Jennifer saw it was past two. “Ooops. Well, I’ve been busy,” she mumbled, grabbing the mic. “Give me a few minutes,” she called back.

  Looking at the monitors, Jennifer saw the boys spreading the rolled up razor wire they had strung the barbwire through. She watched them shake the coil, and it spread out like a giant slinky over the wire. Realizing they were on the east fence, she looked at the cameras showing the front or south fence.

  Shiny razor wire forming large coils ran along the bottom of the fence. Another coil was directly over it, and on the very top hung another coil. The only place that didn’t have a three-foot-round coil of razor wire was the gate.

  “Damn, how do they move so fast?” she mumbled, hearing the girls run downstairs. When the girls took over, Jennifer ran upstairs and made sandwiches. Making sure she had her key around her neck that Mr. Johnathan had told her to get out of one of the safes, Jennifer ran downstairs and told the girls she was taking food out to the boys.

  Putting everything on a tray and having to fight to get the heavy ass back door open, Jennifer walked out. Coming around the house to where she saw the two working, Jennifer only saw shiny razor wire spread out on the fence. Walking up the rise to the back fence, Jennifer heard them cussing before she saw them.

  “I’m sick of this fucking razor wire!” Ian snapped.

  She found them at the corner of the east and north fence using wire to attach and hold the razor wire to the barbwire. Both were wearing raw hide leather aprons, jackets, and gloves. “Food, guys,” she called out, climbing between the loose strands of wire, making both jump, but Dino was already walking to her, looking at the tray.

  “You better call before coming out,” Lance snapped, dropping his pliers and a spool of wire.

  “Sorry, I thought you two were hungry,” she said, putting the tray on the buggy’s seat. “Those are really ugly leather coats.”

  “Who cares?” Ian said, moving over. He grabbed a sandwich and shoved it in his mouth. “They are used to weld in, and if we weren’t wearing them, both of us would be dead by now.”

  Grabbing a sandwich, Lance nodded, holding up his glove to show several large slices. “Yeah, we would’ve bled out long ago.”

  “Makes me feel better,” Jennifer said, walking over to the fence and examining the razor wire. Large, sharp blades spaced evenly rose off a thick wire. “Sorry I forgot to call.”

  “You brought food,” Ian huffed, grabbing a glass of tea and draining it. “You’re forgiven.”

  “What has Dad been making you do?” Lance asked, reaching for another sandwich.

  Walking back over to the boys, she leaned against the buggies and said, “Moving the boxes out of the bunker to the areas of the cabin that they go.”

  Ian saw the massive key hanging around her neck and smiled. “They told you to get a key, huh?”

  She nodded. “Yes, they said never leave the cabin without one,” she said, watching the stack of sandwiches disappear.

  “Where did you get that one?” Lance asked, pulling off his leather suit.

  As he pulled it off, Jennifer saw he wasn’t wearing the harness with all the AR magazines. Her eyes got big, noticing that Lance was soaked with sweat. “In the middle safe in the bunker. Mr. Johnathan showed me where the combinations were.”

  Ian dropped his leather suit and looked just like Lance, soaking wet. “You open all of the safes?” Jennifer just shook her head, feeling guilty that the two were working as hard as they were. She was having trouble just moving damn boxes.

  “No, only the middle one he told me to.”

  “What was in it?” Lance asked, grabbing a bottle of water and pouring it over his head.

  “Stacks of gold and silver coins, lots of folders with papers, money, external hard drives, and guns,” Jennifer answered and shook her head. “You two need to take a break before you pass out. You look like you’ve been playing under the water hose.”

  “Fuck that,” Lance said, pushing off the buggy. “With this fence up, nothing or nobody can just walk up to the cabin.”

  “Where’s your camelbacks?” They both pointed at their small packs on the back of the buggy. Jennifer saw the tactical harnesses laid out neatly in the trailer with the ARs. Picking up the packs, she felt the ammo in them but could tell the hydration bladders were empty. “Why didn’t you tell me they were empty?”

  “Sorry, but when you’re dealing with springy razor wire that acts like a slinky, you forget shit,” Ian said as he and Lance started putting on the leather outfits.

  Not able to argue about that, Jennifer nodded. “I’ll fill them and bring them back.”

  As she walked off carrying the packs, Lance walked over and clipped the wire, holding the coil of razor wire from springing open. “If I would’ve been drinking water, Jennifer would’ve made me piss my pants,” he said, cutting the last one and yanking his hand back as the wire uncurled in a tube.

  Grunting, Ian carefully grabbed the end circle of razor wire and jiggled it as he backed up, stretching out the fifty-foot section. “I think I did, but I’m so soaked I can’t tell.”

  When Jennifer carried the packs back, the boys were already at the middle of the fence. Lance was riding on top of the buggy, shaking the spool of razor wire to spread it out on the top strand of barbwire. “Here, guys,” she said, passing the packs through the section ahead of where the boys were working.

  “Thank you, Jen,” Ian said, passing her the empty tray.

  Taking it, Jennifer stood and watched the two for a minute then went back inside and made sandwiches for Allie and Carrie. Leaving the food on the table, she went to the bunker and let them come upstairs to eat.

  As the sun hit the horizon, Jennifer and the girls sat in mission control, watching Ian and Lance put coils of razor wire on the gate. One would hold it, and the other would tie it to the bars with wire. When the next row had to be done, Jennifer laughed, watching the boys pull off gloves and play rock, paper, scissors to see who had to hold the razor wire.

  “Girls, I’m going to finish supper. When they come inside, come on upstairs,” Jennifer said as she left.

  When Lance and Ian came inside, they were dragging their harnesses with their ARs over their shoulders. Stumbling to the table, they let go of their harnesses and hung their ARs on the back of their chairs. “Shower before you sit,” Jennifer said, carrying over
plates. With both groaning, they trudged toward the bathrooms.

  Allie and Carrie helped set the food out as Lance and Ian came back wearing shorts. Dropping down in chairs, they stared at the empty plates in front of them. When everyone was sitting, Allie and Carrie said a prayer.

  “Smells good,” Ian said as Jennifer loaded his plate.

  “Thank you.” Jennifer smiled, moving to Lance.

  Watching the spoonfuls of food drop on his plate, Lance shook his head. “Yes it does, but as long as it doesn’t move, I don’t care.”

  Allie and Carrie talked, but Ian and Lance were exhausted. After several plates, they stood, grabbing their plates. “Leave them; I’ll take care of them,” Jennifer said. They both looked at her with weak smiles and grabbed their ARs and tactical harnesses off the floor and moved over to the couch.

  Jennifer watched them clean and check their gear and lay it on the coffee table. Both were asleep before they laid back against the sectional. The girls helped Jennifer clean up the kitchen. As Allie and Carrie climbed on the sectional with Ian and Lance, Jennifer went into the men’s room to clean it up.

  Walking in, she stopped. She was expecting clothes and boots to be strewn everywhere, but the floor was clean. Towels were hung up neatly, and even the stuff in the shower and around the sinks were in neat order. “They must have thrown them in their room,” she reasoned out loud and left the bathroom and walked into the first room that Lance and Ian had claimed.

  Inside the room, she saw a twin bed on each side with a hanging shelf and a clothes rod under it. The hanging clothes were neatly hung, and the only disorder she found were the packs still laying on the bed that were waiting for the stuff inside to be put up. Two clothes baskets were at the foot of each bed, and Jennifer saw the clothes the boys were wearing neatly laid out and their boots at the foot of the bed neatly sitting side by side.

  “They make me feel like a slob,” Jennifer huffed. Closing the door as she left the room, Jennifer went to her bathroom and saw the towel she had used that morning hanging over the curtain rod. The towels Allie and Carrie used were on the floor. “Boys shouldn’t be that damn neat.”