by Newman, AJ
“Roger, but remember, they killed my son and grandson.”
“And a lot of other innocent people, but we’re better than that.”
Jon asked, “Samantha, can we talk to them?”
“Of course, radio waves go both ways. Speak when you’re ready.”
“Froggy, this is Jon Stone. I’m in the Ford pickup you’re following. We came out here from Mississippi to escape some bad people. We mean you no harm.”
“How are you talking on this channel?”
Jon wiped his chin. “It’s a long story, but we’d like to meet you and discuss a mutual problem with the ranchers you mentioned.”
“Why are you in our city?”
Barbara answered, “We have some sick people and need medical supplies to treat them. Not the virus, just regular stuff.”
Froggy replied, “Okay, pull into the first entrance to the hospital and stop. I’ll come out to meet your leader. I’ll be unarmed, and your leader had better be unarmed.”
“I’m the leader, and I’ll be unarmed.”
The tall, lean Texan looked over his sunglasses as Jon approached him. The man’s face was like a roadmap through the Rocky Mountains with ridges and valleys running in all directions. His face showed a lifetime of rough living and hard work on the Texas plains. He was the type who didn’t like BS and had all muscle on the slim frame. His hands were calloused, and he had an old beat-up Stetson hat with an unlit cigar stuck in the corner of his mouth. He said, “Stop now. I don’t want to get this far and catch that damned virus. I’m Greg, “Froggy,” Newton. What’s your handle?”
Jon stopped. “I’m Jon Stone, and we come in peace and just need some medical supplies. We’re also looking for homes to live in that have been abandoned. We hoped to settle out by the Navy base and help this area become safer to live. We have a couple of nurses, a policewoman, and people with other skills that any community needs.”
Froggy’s brow wrinkled, and he cleared his throat. “We control that area also. Depending on how this meeting goes, we’ll consider letting you stay there.”
Jon was a bit confused. “We heard there was a motorcycle gang running roughshod over the area.”
The man chuckled and then grimaced. “Ya’ been talking to those ranchers, haven’t ya?’”
“Yes, we flew into the airport and ran into them. They seemed nice, and one of them took us into his home. We started noticing he was more interested in grabbing land and cattle than helping the people around here.”
Froggy listened with a stoic face, and Jon felt nothing could faze him. When Froggy heard the word ‘airplane,’ he reacted. “Y’all got a plane and a pilot? We need some airplane work done.”
“We have two pilots, and there are plenty of planes around the area. What do you need?”
“We have a couple of families who have loved ones stuck away from home and need to fetch them. One group is down over in Louisiana, and the other is out in Arizona.”
Jack had been quiet. “Do you have contact with them, and can they get to a safe airstrip?”
“We’ve had intermittent contact through our short wave radios. Kinda depends on the weather and such.”
Jack looked at Jon. Jon nodded. “If you can provide fuel, we have a plane over at the Lubbock airport that will haul about twelve people and their gear.”
Froggy had a slight look of concern. “You ain’t afraid of catching the virus? You don’t know these people.”
“Yes, but we need a place to stay here. I hope that'll help you make a positive decision. We’ll keep our distance as you and I are doing now, and I’ll wear gloves and an N95 mask while I’m around them. I’ll stay as far away from them as possible, and you should quarantine them when they get here.”
Jon said, “In the meantime, we need a place to stay so we can move our people and gear away from the ranchers.”
“I’ll take you over to the base and show you where to stay. You definitely need to stay away from the ranchers. They declared martial law and began shooting people they said had the virus. They did it on the down-low, keeping it from the locals until they got greedy and tried to take over the city. We drew a line and had a big battle. We lost a dozen men and women but ran them off. They left seven dead and took a bunch of wounded with them,” Froggy informed Jon.
Jon liked the man, but the jury would be out for a while on him and his community.
“How soon can you fetch the first group back here? I’ll check, but they’re mending from their troubles. Five days should be about right.”
“I don’t want the ranchers getting suspicious. We’ll make another run into town in the morning and will need you to take Jack over to the airport when you want him to get your friends. In the meantime, we’ll scavenge until Jack goes to get the closest group,” Jon said.
Froggy asked, “What do you need the most?”
“Synthetic blood, food, ammunition, and general household supplies.”
He grinned. “I suppose you’ll understand if we bring you a gift of everything but the ammo until we get to know you. We’ve been stocking up medical supplies since the collapse. We needed to give a transfusion to one of our people a while back but couldn’t get a nurse or doctor to him in time. I think we have a large supply of everything you need, but we wouldn’t mind if you scrounged the south side for what you need for food and general supplies.”
Jon thought the man was more than fair. “Deal. We’ll finish scavenging for synthetic blood and transfusion equipment at this hospital and then return in the morning. Oh, do you have eyes on our other group?”
“Yes, they’re staying below 114, so we won’t bother them.”
Jon saw several men come out of the shadows when Froggy waved his hand in the air. He was glad these people weren’t unfriendly. “Froggy, we’ll be here at this corner at about 8:00 am.”
“Works for us.”
“I’d shake your hand, but …”
“Maybe later once this crap dies off,” Froggy said.
Jon started to walk away but had a thought. “Could you show us where we’re going to stay, so we don’t have to take our new found medical supplies back to Walt’s ranch?”
“Damn your bad luck. You fell into a nest of rattlesnakes.”
Jill and Barbara moved closer. “What’s wrong with Walt Payne?”
“He used to be a great guy. Kinda easy going and always helping out. When the virus hit, he changed. Suddenly, he was all about surviving. Then we found out it was about him surviving and growing his land and cattle. He’s one of the leaders of the outlaw rancher group.”
Chapter 13
Reese NAS - October 2038
The original Air Force base back in the 1990s only had two north-south runways. The Navy had added another longer airstrip running crossways across the other two landing strips. They’d also added accommodations for over two-thousand trainees and a thousand support people and their families. There were dozens of old jet fighters and cargo type airplanes lined up in several locations around the hangers. Jack pointed out a maintenance building that was as big as a football field.
The Lubbock economic development area, called Reese Center, had also doubled in size with new businesses to support the Naval Air Station. An eight-foot-high fence with piles of razor wire on the inside separated the civilian Reese Center from the Naval Air Station. Guard towers dotted the fence line like a prison. It was apparent the Navy didn’t want a repeat of the massacre that had killed two hundred civilians in Pensacola back in the early twenties.
Froggy’s green Jeep truck led them to an entrance to the base and stopped at the guard shack where two men recognized Froggy and allowed them to pass. He drove around the west side of the airport, bypassing hangars, administrative buildings, and huge dormitories. The truck stopped at the northwest end of the compound and parked in a large group of houses. It was like a civilian neighborhood but had a manned gatehouse. The guards waved Froggy on through.
He stopped in front of a lovel
y home at the back of the subdivision and motioned for them to get out. “This is your new digs,” said Froggy.
“You can have any house on this street for now. I’ll get the Sergeant of the Guard to make passes for you. The only rules, for now, are to check in with the guards before leaving. Do not make contact with any of our people or the ones quarantined in the Reese Center.”
“Why are they quarantined?” Jill asked.
Froggy appeared to be annoyed by the question. “We don’t kill people walking or driving through the area. If they don’t pass on through, they go into quarantine until we know they don’t have the virus. Then we give them a choice of available jobs. If they contribute, they get to stay. If not, we send them on their way. With force, if necessary. We don’t shoot them on sight like the ranchers do.”
Jon was impressed with their operation but didn’t like being behind the razor wire and fence. “We plan to be moved in within a week or two and will get back with you on what we can do to help out once we settle into the place.”
“One thing you can do is make your nurses available to the base here. We’re short on medical folks, and this place shares with Lubbock.”
Barbara thought for a few seconds and then turned to face Froggy. “I’ll find a way to get at least one nurse and one of our trainees up here tomorrow. Oh, do you have any emergencies now?”
“Don’t rush, but the sooner, the better. You’re training people?”
Barbara said, “I help, but we have two very accomplished nurses and some willing people they’re training. I help out with some of the general biology, anatomy, and background on medicines and such.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“Yes, but not a medical doctor. I’m an immunologist. I can help them and teach what I know, but I can’t get into severe medical issues.”
“Could your people teach some of my folks? That would be a big help since mine are covered up taking care of cuts, bites, gunshot wounds, and accidents.”
Barbara caught Jon’s eye, and he nodded. “Of course, we’ll help. Can you set up a remote hospital over here?”
“Don’t have to. There’s a thirty-bed hospital with all of the equipment, medicines, and other supplies just a block south of here.”
“That’s wonderful. We’ll all pitch in and get that hospital going. Oh, do you have any doctors or surgeons?”
Froggy said, “Yes, we have two doctors and one lady surgeon. We only have two nurses for several hundred people, plus about fifty people in quarantine at any one time.”
Barbara wondered about the care of the people in quarantine. “How do you handle the medical treatment of the quarantined people?”
“We don’t. The quarantined people are on their own until fourteen days pass.”
On the way back to Walt’s place, Barbara had a crisis of morality. She knew they would leave before Jill’s mom was given immunity. “Jill, what do we do about giving your mom immunity? We’ve finished giving it to your dad.”
“I’ve been mulling that over in my mind. I want to do it, but we can’t put the donors in jeopardy.”
Barbara squeezed Jill’s hand. “That was my thinking. We have a week to decide. They already think it’s another week or so before the next transfusions.”
Jon pondered the situation. “Why don’t we make up a story about one of our people coming down with the virus? Then we could sell the story that we’re self-isolating, and two of the immunes could meet Meg and give her the transfusions.”
Barbara was excited by what Jon had said. “Jon, you gave me an idea. We only have to draw the blood and give it to Walt to perform the transfusion on Meg. We can claim the need to make sure we don’t pass on the virus. Then afterward, we only give Walt the synthetic blood for his people. They won’t know the difference. We can give them a story that the more a person gives blood, the longer it takes for the next person to become immune. Then the dumbasses won’t be going out among the sick, thinking they’re immune.”
Jon turned and kissed his wife. “I like it when you get all devious and scientific.”
Barbara sat there for a minute and turned to her husband. “We need to include Froggy now in the transfusions.”
☣☣☣
Walt’s Ranch - Lubbock, Texas – October 2038
Bob’s group completed their mission first and stretched their legs before unloading their cargo. Bob saw Walt walking to them with a scowl on his face. “Hey Walt, we’re back and had a pretty good day. We have everything from bandages to suture kits.”
“Great, but what about food?”
Bob didn’t want to give away everything he knew. He crossed his fingers behind his back. “We only looked for medical supplies. We did find a few snack machines full of canned soup, candy, and chips. I hadn’t had a chocolate bar in weeks.”
“Did you find a place to live? I know y’all want more privacy.”
“No, I think Jon and Jack are handling that.”
Walt looked perturbed by Bob’s answers. “Does Jon make all of your group’s decisions?”
“Jon’s our leader, and he’s done a good job so far. We have group meetings, and Jon usually goes with what the group decides.”
Samantha drove down the driveway an hour later and stopped beside Bob’s truck. Jon saw Walt peek out the window and knew Walt had let them pass. Nothing got past Walt’s sensors. “Bob, how did you do today?”
“We filled the bed with medical supplies, but only after we lined the entire bottom with cases of potted ham, Spam, and tuna fish. Barbara will be happy. We found ten cases of the synthetic blood.”
“Hiding it from Walt, eh, Bob?”
“Yes, he doesn’t need to know everything. He was curious about if we’d found food and a place to live. He’s changed his tune about us being welcome. Oh, we also placed some rifles and ammunition under the back seat that we’d discovered in a looted sporting goods store.”
Jon patted Bob on the back. “I’ll fill you in later, but we need to fill back up in the morning and take our stuff to our new homes. We found a place to live west of Lubbock. Obviously, we keep this to ourselves for now. We’ll have a family meeting as soon as possible. Until then, Barbara and I will pass on the information to keep everyone informed.”
After supper, Walt asked to meet with Jill, Barbara, and Jon. This piqued their interest since he was close to the vest about the reason for the meeting. A short time later, Jill caught Jon and Barbara and enlightened them. “Mom pulled me to the side and told me the ranchers had a meeting this morning and want us to be gone immediately. I don’t think they liked our questions about how they handled the infected people.”
“But …”
Jill spoke over Jon, “I know. Only my dad was asked any questions. He wants me gone also, and that’s pissed Mom off to the max.”
Jon said, “This makes it easier to get the hell out of here. I’ll tell him Jack, and I’ll search for a place west of here close to Brownfield. That’ll also give Jack cover for being late getting back from picking up Froggy’s people.”
Walt came out of the house and led Jon and the others out to a gazebo in the back yard. “When I first came here after retiring, I only purchased ten acres. The other people around here looked down on me. They called me a hobby farmer. I only had five cows, two horses, and a large truck garden. Now, I have over a thousand head of cattle and two thousand acres. I’ll have two square miles fenced in by winter. I just bought an abandoned spread from Peg southeast of here.”
Jon was tired of Walt’s BS. “Walt, that’s a fantastic story for a retired guy. Shows how much grit and determination you have. Now, what did you call us together for?”
“Sorry if I was boring you with my tales. I need all of you out of here before the end of the week. My rancher friends don’t think you’re a good fit for our area. You need to move at least twenty miles from here. Jill, I’m sorry, but that means you, too.”
Jill acted, surprised. “I’m finally home, and your so-called f
riends want me gone, and you support the idea? Does this have anything to do with my choice of who I love?”
“Jill, we made our peace about that a long time ago.”
“Dad, you told me to get out from under your roof if I wanted ‘that lifestyle.’ I left and have only visited a couple of times since.”
“No, girl, they don’t know about that. They just don’t see your group becoming ranchers. We plan to keep moving onto the land on this side of Lubbock, and you won’t be a problem over there on the west side.”
Jill had a steady stream of tears while she held back her anger. Jon kept his temper in check. He wasn’t mad about being told to move on, but rather, the asshole talking bad about Jill.
“Sir, we’ll change plans and go on a scouting mission west of here. I think somewhere along Highway 62 should be okay, assuming we can find some abandoned homes and land.”
Walt said, “I’m okay with that area. That’ll be about twenty-five to thirty miles away. Jill can come over and see her mother from time to time.”
Barbara said, “I guess your friends don’t want us to pass on our immunity to them.”
Walt looked up. “I haven’t told them about that. I’d like to get Meg immune and then worry about how to get immunity for my closest friends and ranch hands. Will you still work with us on that?”
Barbara said, “Yes, but it will make it difficult. We can send the blood over, and you can do the transfusions yourself. We can teach you.”
Walt smiled. “That would be great. I’m sorry it came to this, but you said you want your own space.”
Barbara whispered to Jon when they were out of hearing range. “That went almost too well. I think he lied about not telling the other ranchers.”
“I agree, but why not keep us close at hand to get our blood?”
Jon placed his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “We need to post guards until we get out of here and to the NAS. I’m going to program all of the trucks to watch for Walt and any other people getting near us.”
