by Robert Boren
“Lindsay would go for it,” Matt said, “but let’s not change the subject. What happens if we take our guns and get caught?”
“You’ll get arrested and lose your guns,” Jamie said. “Probably no more than that.”
“At least for now,” Seth said. “I’ve read about what happens after the military has been in control for a while.”
“What happens?” Matt asked.
Seth looked him in the eye. “Extortion. Rape. Killings. Other bad stuff.”
“Now you sound like Trevor,” Matt said.
“He’s studied this,” Seth said. “Don’t take it lightly. We, as citizens, need to make sure that this martial law is only in place as long as needed.”
“You think California is going totalitarian?” Angel asked.
“I’m just saying we need to keep our eyes open,” Seth said. “You know how governments can get.”
“Listen to yourself, man,” Matt said.
“No, he’s right,” Jamie said. “Happened before. I can tell you exactly what’s going to happen.”
Matt snickered. “Here comes the Libertarian pitch.”
“You’re a Libertarian?” Angel asked. “Me too.”
“Me three, for the most part,” Seth said.
“All right, all right,” Matt said. “Go on, boss.”
Jamie looked at them silently for a moment. “Okay. They’ll get the bad guys locked down here in a hurry, and then entrench a very organized control over the population for our own good. People like us will start to tire of it after a while, and we’ll begin to resist. The soldiers will become suspicious and target those who are giving them a hard time. They’ll begin to look at themselves as different than the population at large. They’ll become more and more oppressive. It’s not going to end well for either side.”
“You’re assuming that the State and the Feds will keep martial law in place too long,” Matt said.
“You’re right, I am,” Jamie said. “You know how the government of California is. You know how the current administration in DC is. I wish our governor had the balls that Governor Nelson does.”
“Governor Nelson?” Matt asked.
“Texas, you dummy,” Angel said. “Rumor has it that he’s gonna take Texas out of the Union for a while.”
“No way,” Matt said. “They tried that once. Civil War, remember?”
“I wasn’t here then,” Angel said.
Jamie snickered. “Hey, I’m not saying the rumors are true, but I’d expect Nelson to stand up against the Feds to protect his people. Governor Sable? Not so much. He’d do the Administration’s bidding even if it was bad for the individuals living in his state.”
“You always say that,” Matt said. “Why do you hate the guy so much?”
“He’s a statist,” Jamie said. “He thinks the state is more important than the individual. He thinks the individual serves the state, not the other way around. If left unchecked, that always leads to tyranny. That mindset changes the relationship between the people and their government.”
“Cue the patriotic music,” Matt said. “I know what’s coming.”
“Shut up,” Seth said. “He’s right.”
Jamie smiled. “Lincoln, controversial as he was, said it best… and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. It is our responsibility to preserve our liberty. Never forget that, or we’re lost.”
“Lincoln was controversial?” Matt asked.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Angel asked.
“I get it,” Seth said. “Never trade liberty for security. The government always takes things too far. They always pursue the chance to increase control.”
“Exactly,” Jamie said.
“So what, do you want us to go attack the National Guard?” Matt asked.
Jamie chuckled. “Not yet. Just remember who they are, and who you are. Remember the Bill of Rights. Remember what made this country great. Don’t give it up. Martial law for our current situation is probably good, but remember that it is supposed to be temporary. If it takes on an air of permanence, the people must rise up.”
“Are you guys talking politics again?” Emma asked as she walked into the room.
“Yeah,” Matt said. “Getting a little thick in here.”
“It was a good discussion,” Seth said. “Find anything to eat?”
“Kaylee’s making pancakes. Anything else on the news about the roads?”
“Nope,” Seth said. “Were gonna have to stay here for a couple of days.”
“Shit,” Emma said. “Oh well, maybe the pool is heated. You see the backyard? Wow.”
“Yeah, this is definitely how the other half lives,” Angel said.
“What are you gonna use for swimsuits?” Matt asked with a twinkle in his eye.
Seth laughed. “Yeah, that might be a problem.”
“I don’t think it’s a problem,” Matt said.
“Shut up,” Emma said. She went back into the kitchen. Matt and Seth looked at each other and snickered.
***
“The Tigr’s gonna fit, barely,” Clem said as he let the tape measure reel itself in. “Might have to chop a few small branches so the gun can swing around easy enough.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” John said. “When we’re doing that, somebody should be standing down the road to make sure we don’t ruin the cover.”
“Yeah,” Clem said. “Let’s get with Sam and make sure he’s good with our plan. Then I’ll drive the Tigr over.”
They walked to the office and opened the door. Sam and Connie were sitting behind the counter, staring at each other, fright in their eyes.
“Damn, you two look like somebody crapped in your punchbowl,” John said.
“Just got off the phone with the CHP,” Sam said. “Our forces south of the border got overrun. They said to expect a flood of enemy traffic.”
“Dammit,” Clem said. “Maybe we ought to re-think this place.”
“Probably too late,” Connie said. “Officer Ryan said they’re already on the highway in.”
“Then we’d better get busy with the Tigr,” Clem said. “We found a good place. Might have to chop out a few branches so we can aim the gun.”
Sam stood and came around the counter. “Let’s get it done, then.”
“How much ammo we have for that gun?” John asked.
“You know, that’s a good question,” Clem said. “Haven’t checked it out yet.”
“We should check before we move it,” John said. “The parking place we found is tight. Not going to be easy to move it there.”
They walked down the road from the office, into a small stand of trees. The Tigr was there in the shade. When they got to it, Clem opened the tailgate and climbed inside, looking in the compartments.
“Bingo,” he said, pointing at the big compartment in the floor. “Looks like about a thousand rounds. We’re good for a while.”
“What size?” John asked.
“It’s 7.62,” Clem said. “What the hell are these things?” He held up a belt of large rounds.
“Holy shit!” Sam said. “Those are 30 mm grenades for an automatic launcher. There might be one of those stashed in another compartment.”
“Oh,” Clem said. “The mounting bar for the machine gun has an extra set of lugs, on the other side. I’ll bet it mounts there.”
“Yeah,” Sam said. “Surprised I didn’t notice that before. See that long, thin compartment against the side? Open that. The launcher is probably in there.”
“I see it,” Clem said. He unlatched it. “Yep, here it is. You know how to work these?”
“Yeah, basically,” Sam said. “They’re similar to the American M-19s. How many grenades are there?”
“Looks like fifteen to twenty in this compartment,” Clem said, “but I’ve only looked in about half of the compartments. This sucker was designed to be out in the field for a while.”
“Maybe we sh
ouldn’t just position this thing in one place,” Sam said. “Maybe we ought to use it for offense. How much fuel is in it?”
“Three-quarters of a tank,” Clem said, “but I have no idea what it takes.”
“What do you have in mind?” John asked.
“If we could blow up some of their trucks in that pass south of here, it’ll take a while for them to clear it. Meanwhile we could alert the CHP. Have them get the Air Force out there.”
“Blow them up where they sit,” Clem said. “Beautiful but risky.”
“Sure this is a good idea?” John asked.
“Might be our only chance,” Sam said. “If we try to hunker down and use this vehicle for defense, it won’t be long before we have a flood of enemy fighters swarming us. We’ll get overrun in a hurry. Better to make a problem for them miles away from here.”
“He’s right, John,” Clem said. “The bad guys probably have a bunch of these. They’ll neutralize our capability in minutes. Then we’re down to hunting rifles and handguns.”
“Okay, I get it,” John said. “You’ve already got a plan in mind, don’t you?”
Sam nodded yes. “Sid up yet?”
“Don’t know,” Clem said. “It’s late enough. He should be pretty well rested by now.”
“Go get him and meet me in the clubhouse,” Sam said.
Clem nodded and walked towards Sid’s coach. John followed Sam into the clubhouse.
“What are you gonna do?” John asked.
“Check out that pass with Google Earth,” Sam said as he sat in front of the PC. “I want to see if there’s a good vantage point for Sid to watch, and a good place for us to hide out in the Tigr until it’s time to blast the enemy.”
“What’s up, guys?” Sid asked, walking in with Yvonne.
“Get enough sleep?” John asked.
“Yeah,” Sid said.
“Well, almost enough,” Yvonne said. “What’s up?”
“We got some bad news from the CHP,” Sam said. “The US Army suffered a defeat south of the border, right by the entrance point for the enemy. Now they’re streaming in. Be here before too long.”
“Oh no,” Yvonne said. “What are we gonna do? Leave?”
“You know that tight pass about twenty miles southeast of here?” Sam asked.
Sid grinned. “Yeah. If we bottle that up, there’s no way around it for miles and miles. We’d need some explosives to do anything, though. A lot of explosives.”
“My plan is to blow up some of their trucks in the pass,” Sam said.
“With what?” Sid asked.
“The automatic grenade launcher we found in the Tigr,” Clem said.
A smile washed over Sid’s face. “Good idea. You guys want us to spot for you, huh?”
“Exactly,” Clem said.
“You know good vantage points there?” John asked.
“As a matter of fact, yes,” Sid said.
“Where?” Yvonne asked.
“Remember where we took that deer last season? It was right by the pass. There’s lots of good cover overlooking the road. Hell, once things start up, we can pick off a lot of these creeps, and shoot out the tires on the vehicles you don’t blow up.”
“They’ll get through eventually, though,” Yvonne said.
“I’m hoping that the CHP will be able to bring the Air Force in to pound them,” Sam said.
“Even if that doesn’t happen, it will slow them down,” John said. “And it’s not right on top of this place.”
“When do we have to go?” Yvonne asked.
“Now,” Sam said. “Or they’ll get through there before we’re ready.”
“If they haven’t already,” John said.
“We’ve got to do this,” Sid said, looking at Yvonne. “You in?”
Yvonne sighed. “Yeah, I’m in. Let’s go get the Jeep loaded up.”
“I’ll go talk to Connie,” Sam said. “Ask her to call the CHP and let them know what we’re doing.”
“Guess I’d better go talk to Sarah,” John said.
“She ain’t gonna be happy,” Clem said.
“If I explain to her that we’d die trying to defend this place, she’ll come around,” John said.
“Meet me at the front gate in ten minutes,” Sam said.
Chapter 13 – Pick Up
Morgan looked at Robbie, eyes wide with fear. He looked down the stairs from the kitchen. Steve was at the foot of the stairs looking up at him.
“You know a lot of the roads are locked down, right?” Robbie said. “Is Colleen in danger where she is?”
“She thinks she is,” Steve said. “I don’t know.”
“Where is she?” Morgan asked.
“Not very far,” Steve said. “Hermosa. She’s on Prospect, just the other side of Aviation. Don’t remember hearing that was closed, and we can get there on side roads.”
“So the only big street we’ll have to cross is Aviation,” Robbie said. “Not so bad. We can take Harriman Lane. Pick an easy way to get across Aviation. Probably Stanford Avenue, where Big Lots is.”
“Yeah,” Steve said. “That’ll work. She’s a few doors down from the Hermosa View Elementary School.”
“I can go, can’t I?” Morgan asked.
“Sure,” Robbie said. “It should be pretty safe. Residential streets around here should be okay.”
“When can we leave?” Steve asked.
“Now,” Robbie said.
“Okay, I’ll drive,” Steve said.
“I’ll get my wallet and keys,” Robbie said.
“I’ll grab my purse, too,” Morgan said. “Should I bring the pistol?”
“Yeah, you do that, and I’ll bring one of my dad’s pistols too.”
Morgan and Robbie rushed into the master bedroom to get their things, then took the stairs to the front door. They got into Steve’s car and backed down the driveway, eyes darting around. Robbie and Morgan were in the back.
“Nobody around,” Robbie said. He put his hand on Morgan’s thigh to calm her.
“We have to cross Grant,” Steve said.
“That’s not a major street, it’s residential,” Robbie said as they pulled up to the stop light. The light turned green right away and they drove across.
“One big street down,” Steve said. They turned right on Harriman Lane.
“Hey, man, move down to Marshallfield Lane,” Robbie said, “when you get to Harkness Lane.”
“Why?” Steve asked.
“Easy way to get to Stanford,” Robbie said. “The streets get weird down there.”
“Oh, yeah,” Steve said. “Forgot. This isn’t my stomping grounds.”
“I see people peeking out windows at us,” Morgan said. “It’s kinda creepy.”
They passed block after block, most of them with stop signs.
“I hate driving in here,” Morgan said. “Drive. Stop. Drive. Stop.”
Robbie laughed. “Pain in the neck, but it does keep the streets a little less busy.”
“I’m with Morgan,” Steve said. “That’s why I like Torrance better than Redondo.”
“Harkness is coming up,” Robbie said.
“See it.” Steve made the left, then turned right when they got to Stanford.
“All these tall skinny houses,” Morgan said. “Had a friend who lived in one. It was like a boxcar.”
“Yeah, they build them right to the lot lines, too,” Robbie said. “They’re expensive now.”
“Here’s Aviation,” Steve said as he pulled up to the stoplight. He looked down the road on both sides. “Don’t see any roadblocks.”
“Can’t see past the curves,” Robbie said. “I’ll bet you can’t go past Artesia to the north.”
“PCH is closed too, so that bottles up the other end,” Morgan said.
“Yep,” Steve said. The light changed, and he moved forward. “So far so good. He made a left turn on Palm Lane, then took the 15 th Street jog and turned right on Prospect. “Welcome to Hermosa.”
“Yeah, and the price goes up,” Robbie said.
“And the roads get worse,” Steve said. “Wonder why that is?”
“Hermosa used a lot of concrete on its roads way back in the day,” Robbie said. “And it’s moved around over the years, so it’s rough to drive on. Asphalt takes more maintenance, but in an earthquake zone like this it’s not such a bad thing.”
“That’s the house,” Steve said, pointing to a small, run down beach shack.
“Looks like a tear-down,” Robbie said as they parked. “Want us to go to the door with you?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Bring your guns.”
“Why?” Morgan asked. “Is there something you didn’t tell us about this?”
“Colleen said the guy she’s with won’t let her leave,” Steve said. “We might have to force him.”
“Now you tell us,” Robbie said. “Think he’s armed?”
“Colleen didn’t think he was,” Steve said, “but he’s big.”
Robbie snickered. “Then maybe we should let you fight him. Impress your girl.”
“That’s mean.” Morgan chuckled.
“C’mon,” Steve said, opening his door. They all got up and took the walkway through the dead scraggly lawn. A pretty young woman peeked out the window and smiled. The door opened quietly.
“Thank God,” Colleen whispered, brushing her brilliant red hair back from her freckled face.
“Shut that door,” a gruff voice yelled from further inside the house.
“C’mon,” she whispered, stepping out. They turned to walk back to the car when a big man rushed out the door, grabbing Steve’s shirt.
“What do you think you’re doing?” the man shouted, his eyes crazy.
“Let go of him,” Robbie said.
The man laughed. “Or else what, punk?”
Robbie pulled his .45 and pointed it at him. Morgan pulled her .38 and pointed it at him too.
“Let go,” Robbie said.
The man let go and backed away, hands up. “All right, all right.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Colleen said.
“You guys get in the car while I cover this creep,” Robbie said.
Steve and Colleen rushed to the car. Morgan and Robbie stood still with their guns pointed. Steve started the car. “C’mon, guys,” he yelled.
