Dark Days Rough Roads

by Matthew D. Mark

  He slowed a bit so he could handle the bike with enough control for one hand. He reached down and opened a bag attached to the tank. He managed to open the Velcro top of it exposing the contents. He took a handful and tossed it behind him. He did it once more. Real 007 stuff here, he hoped.

  The bag had been filled with what he called star jacks. These resembled the kid’s version of jacks however were made with large spikes that were sharpened to a point on each end. No matter how they landed there would always be a spike pointing upward. Most people called them Caltrops. He learned this trick during the Detroit Newspaper Strike back in the early nineties. This was done to flatten the tires of the replacement workers.

  About three dozen of them landed behind him. The Jeep didn’t have time to swerve and ran over where they had landed. It just kept right on following him. Haliday cursed to himself and gunned it again. He looked in his mirror but now saw the Jeep slowing. He noticed one of the front tires going flat. He got at least one tire and that was good enough.

  The Jeep came to a stop by the side of the road. The men inside had their own radio and called in to some kind of headquarters. As far as they were concerned, they were the new law around here and somebody just disrespected them. Their group would not tolerate this behavior; they were dictatorial in nature.

  He looked around at himself and made sure he wasn’t hit. The only thing he noticed was a small tear in his cargo pocket but that looked like it was from the cornfield. He took a few more roads and got back on route. He was wondering who the hell they were. He was trying to remember who might be in this area.

  There was no military or militia as far as he could remember. If they were militia, they were different than the typical TV yahoos and kept themselves under the radar. This could be a problem. If they had a sizable group, they could damper his own group’s efforts. He made note to check this out; he didn’t need any big headaches.

  He came up to the dirt road. He spotted the horse tracks and the ranger’s tracks as well. He got off his bike and looked around. “That should do the trick,” he said. He walked over to the side of the road and grabbed a bunch of smaller branches and spread them out. He pulled out some paracord and tied them together and then tied them to the back of his bike.

  He keyed his mic and told Dawn he was coming in. He got back on the bike and dragged the branches down the road behind him. While it didn’t completely cover up the tracks, it did do a good job and took away that fresh track look. He would do the same on the way out to try and hide the cache site since they hadn’t needed to dig it up.

  He reached the path and paused long enough to cut the branches loose. There was no way he could drag those through this path. It wasn’t quite what he remembered. No wonder they had trouble. The winter months played hell on the trees and tree limbs had dropped, blocking the path a bit more than usual.

  He came up on the three of them standing there waiting. They were grouped together, but at least had the brains to make sure they were ready to fire. He would have had them spread out and hidden. It could have been a trap for them. Haliday turned off the bike and dismounted. He walked over and gave Dawn a hug. He said hi to Diana and Karen and said he was glad they were all safe.

  “Let’s see what you have here,” he said. He walked around the ranger and trailer and then looked underneath. He got in the driver’s seat and tried to back it up. It went about a foot backwards and that was it. He looked under it again and this time saw that a tree root near the surface had broken and came up and wedged itself between the axle and trailer.

  He tried going forward again and still no luck; it wasn’t going to break free. He tried to pull it out but he couldn’t get the leverage to do this either. He laid down on the ground and worked himself under the ranger a bit. “Dawn, can you hand me a saw out of the toolbox.”

  “You want a pocket chain or regular saw?”

  “Pocket chain.”

  Haliday never thought one of these would come in handy. But this awkward position proved its worth. He worked the saw back and forth for about five minutes until the root gave way. He pulled the chunk loose and tossed it aside. “That should do it,” he said. He started the ranger and it moved freely now.

  Haliday called them all over. He thought it might not be a bad idea to tell them what happened. He explained the incident with the jeep as best as he could. “We’re going to take a slightly different route back just in case they are still out there. The horses will need to move as quickly as they can without exhausting them.” The realization that this area was now changing too, had hit the three of them like a ton of bricks. Haliday said, “Welcome to the new world disorder.”

  Chapter 16

  As soon as they reached the dirt road, Haliday hooked up his branches. “Listen,” he said, “I’m going down that way about a half mile and then I’ll double back and catch up to you guys. I want to try to throw anyone off the track if I can.” They took off and he did too. He doubled back quickly and caught up.

  Haliday heard a low guttural roar like that from a 155mm cannon and looked around. The horses were spooked and reared a bit. There came another roar before Haliday realized this was thunder. Well, the effort hiding the cache was going to go to waste except now it’d be even better as the rain would wash the road clean of the tracks much better than his dragging did.

  He signaled them to stop. “You guys have rain gear?” They all nodded. “Ok, put it on, looks like we are going to get hammered.” He grabbed a set out of his saddle bags and put them on. Windy, cold, wet and exposed. This was getting to be all kinds of fun. People out and about would be heading home, but those still out in this weather would have a purpose. It was best to avoid those folks. Dark clouds starting moving in and the wind picked up.

  Haliday called David and asked them how they were doing. David said they were just sitting around waiting for them to get there. “Well, with the weather change it’s going to be a while. Make sure everyone gets something to eat and keep some hot liquids on hand. Have everyone dress warmer. I have a feeling tonight is going to be rough.”

  Haliday told David they would be staying there the night so to get things set up. “Kayla will help you. If you have any questions let me know. If by chance anyone strange makes it there, they are going to be a high level threat. Treat them as such. Do not take any chances. Nobody belongs there.” David asked him if he wanted him to set up a hide for someone with Haliday’s rifle.

  Haliday told him, “No offense, but nobody is to touch that rifle.” He highly doubted anybody could explain mil-dot, MOA, windage, spin drift or anything else they would need to know in order to use it. They wouldn’t even know what rounds to use. He kept three basic loads for it for various conditions. They’d just load what they grabbed, not understanding the differences.

  “David, just set up for the night, set a solid watch roster and keep everyone warm and dry. Do not move out, do not send out anybody to recon the area or anything else.”

  David answered, “Got it brother.” David went over to Kayla. “I need your help. Your dad says we are staying the night.” Kayla started barking out orders and got everyone moving.

  Kayla was a smart girl and although at times she thought her dad was a little crazy, she made it a point to listen to him. Now she was doing what he would be doing right now. Kayla ordered the vehicles realigned. She had them parked so that they formed a small modern day circled wagon train.

  The Tahoe and trailer were parked so that the trailer was almost at a ninety degree angle to it and opposite that were the Cherokee and its trailer. This formed a mutated square but left ample coverage for everything in the middle. They would set up a small 10X10 pop up tent in the middle with some side panels and cover everything with a camo net.

  They weren’t worried about the aerial view, but didn’t want anyone seeing them from the side. Even though they chose an area with plenty of pine trees because the rest of the foliage was already down for the fall, they still didn’t want to be
seen. The camo net was designed for this use in particular.

  Haliday had taken numerous pictures and sent them out to a large format printing company in China and had “Nature Billboards” printed. He hated to use the Chinese company, but it was a tenth of the cost compared to the U.S. companies. He had done a few for different seasons to include spring, summer, fall and winter. They were designed to be hung on buildings and printed on a mesh so you could see through them when you were close enough, but people who saw them from a distance couldn’t. Custom camo nets.

  They lit up a small propane heater. No fires and no smoke. They pulled out a butane stove and boiled up some water for coffee and hot cocoa. They would get lunch ready too, but Kayla already determined it was going to be soup. This was everyone’s first afternoon and night exposed to the elements. Best to stay warm.

  Haliday was taking the lead and would shoot up a ways and scope out the intersections ahead of Dawn, Diane and Karen. Once they passed by, he would shoot up ahead again and check the area. This would keep them from having to do it themselves and save a little time. If he spotted any trouble, he could tell them and they could stop and he could try and draw the trouble away from them.

  Kayla called him on the radio. “We got a problem, or to be more exact you have a problem.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Well, I was flipping through the frequencies and it stopped on one which I listened to for a while. The signal was strong, so I figured it was close by. I wrote the frequency down. I’ll give it to you in a minute.

  “Anyway, I assume it’s you they are looking for.” Haliday was trying to figure this out.

  “Kayla, what exactly did you hear?”

  “Ok, it was hard to decipher at first because the transmissions were kind of choppy and I came across it halfway into the conversation. But here’s the short story.

  “Some group called the Bad Axe Minute Men had some patrols out. One of those patrols came across a guy on a motorcycle. They said they tried to stop the guy, but he ran. They are calling him a fugitive. They mentioned chasing him until he flattened two of their tires with spikes. I figured it was you.

  “Now they put out an ‘APB’ to their other patrols and headquarters. Pretty much said to just shoot on sight. They said OD green motorcycle, one man, large build, khaki cargo pants, black jacket and full faced helmet. Sounds like you Dad. You really pissed someone off. I’m trying to listen in and gather some more intel. I’ll tell you what I hear.”

  “Ok kiddo, thanks for the good news.”

  Haliday slowed down and looked at Dawn, Diane and Karen and shrugged his shoulders. Nothing he could do now. They had heard the news too. He looked down at the map on top of the tank. Here we go again, time to change the route. He would head back south a bit. If they were indeed out of Bad Axe, then they were a good 30 miles out from the center of their operations. They were only about 15 miles from his own group’s destination.

  Thirty miles is a long way out for a patrol, he thought. They were either very large or very dumb. He’d have to figure this out quickly. He was getting pelted with rain now. He signaled another stop and pulled over. He programmed his radio with the frequency Kayla had given him.

  Dawn and Diana watered the horses real quickly and they put a cover on the ranger to help keep rain out. It was coming straight down, but the small top would provide a little relief. He refused to let them put the whole top on. There was no visibility with it on.

  He checked the map once more. “Ok, here it is,” he told them. “This is the route, we are about eight miles away now and we have to push it. We can’t risk stopping around here for the night. They going to make it?” he nodded toward the horses.

  “Ya, they’ll make it.”

  “Ok good, let’s go.”

  Diana asked him what would happen if one of those patrols found them.

  “People would die. Who, I don’t know, but people would die.”

  He grabbed some hundred mile an hour tape and covered all of the lights on the bike and ranger. He didn’t want anyone spotting the lights, it was late afternoon, the sky dark, rain coming down and they would easily see the lights. They got moving again.

  He flipped the radio over to the frequency Kayla had given him and he listened for a while. He started taking mental notes on what he heard. There was actually quite a bit of chatter. He was glad Kayla was taking notes. This was going to be a big problem he had not expected.

  He thought of contacting them to sort it out, but that was a stupid idea as well. They would know he definitely had their frequency and they would most likely change it. He needed as much intel on these guys as he could get. Five days and militias were out hunting already. Probably more like staking out their kingdoms.

  After a couple more hours of slow moving, he called Kayla and told them they were coming in. They got themselves situated and went into the small tent to warm up. Bev gave them some coffee, hot cocoa and offered them some soup as well, which they gladly accepted. Kayla came in, “Ok Dad, here’s what we have.”

  Kayla had taken meticulous notes on everything she heard. She started with manpower. “They have four patrols out in designated areas with an additional patrol that seems to be a quick response unit that can back up any of the other patrols. It sounds like that unit stays at or close to their headquarters. I would say two people per patrol.” That was 10 right there.

  “They pulled a shift change at 1800hrs. When they did this though, they only had two patrols out and one for response for the night. They mentioned seeing each other in the morning, so it looks like 12 hours shifts. So that gives them another six people. I assume one at HQ to coordinate or answer the radio. We have a definite 18 people on security patrols.

  “Now, they said something about camp watch and I couldn’t quite make that out, but it sounded like static posts to watch their HQ or their compound. Maybe a watchtower or who knows what. I didn’t catch this during the day, so not sure. But it’s safe to say they have at least 22 to 24 people and most likely more.

  “I didn’t catch anything about where the HQ or compound was though, I didn’t expect to. I didn’t catch how many people were currently not on patrol or watch duty. No way to really calculate their total numbers because there was no telling if wives, girlfriends or kids were involved. I did hear some people in the background once in a while. Someone was giving out chores to be completed. If I had to guess Dad, you have 40 to 50 people total and that’s minimum.

  “Now here’s where it gets interesting. They call in checks once in a while, but not sure what they are checking or who they are checking. They use code numbers for that. A21 checked and secured. B13 checked and secured, like that. Could be other family, could be caches, could be a lot of things.

  “One more important detail is they act like it’s martial law. They are acting like they are the combination military and police for the area. They mentioned catching some looters and taking them somewhere, but I don’t know exactly where. I missed what they said. It might have been the police department. Either way, they think they control the whole area and it sounds like they just might be doing that.”

  “How do you know they are the Bad Axe Minute Men?”

  “I heard them call to another group in Bay City. Well, the other group didn’t answer. I think they forgot to change frequencies when transmitting. I heard them say Bad Axe Minute Men calling Bay City Minute Men, then it went dead. They must have changed frequencies then.”

  “Good job sweetie. That helps tremendously. The unfortunate thing is we are on the edge of their patrol areas and then we’ll be within a good 10 to 15 miles away from their HQ when we move to the house. I don’t know exactly what they are trying to do, but if it’s run the Thumb Area we have problems. If they’ll leave us alone then that’s much better.”

  “What about trying to strike a deal with them Dad.”

  “I thought about that. I’m thinking we might make the next leg of the trip tomorrow and then go from th
ere. I wish I knew more about these guys, but they kept a low profile and I had no idea they were out here. Not like I can do any research now.”

  “Wait a minute Dad, call Mike. Mr. Bill might know something; he’s more of a local here.”

  Haliday was impressed. He hadn’t thought of that. “Ok kiddo, go for it. Tell him to change frequencies though. If they are scanning frequencies I don’t want them to hear anything about us.”

  Kayla got a hold of Mike and asked him how things were. Mike told her Bill and Linda’s son and daughter in-law made it in. That was good news. She asked if Mr. Bill was around and if she could talk to him. “He’s napping right now is it important?” Kayla said to go wake him; it was about the militia with a wanted poster out for Dad.

  A few minutes later Bill came on the radio. Kayla asked him if he knew anything about the BAMM. There was a pause before Bill answered. “I actually know one of the guys who is a member. I assume that’s the group he belongs to. He tried to recruit me a while back. He mentioned Bad Axe but not the name BAMM specifically. He did not say much at all really. Just that he belonged to a group that would run the community if something major ever happened.”

  “Do you know what their mission is?”

  “If it’s the same group I’m thinking of, then they are out there to keep law and order. But here’s the catch. While they are not quite government friendly, they are not quite people friendly either. I don’t think they want people other than themselves enforcing any law and order or carrying firearms. The police might be a different story, but not sure.

  “They might actually be a part of them, not many other cops in the area. Most were county sheriffs and a couple state troopers, that’s all. The sheriff up there is a real ass and he’s involved with them somehow. He has a real attitude and acts like his crap smells like roses.”