Thelma removed the bandages that Nicki placed on his neck.
“Barely missed the jugular vein,” Thelma said. “Whoever patched him up knew what they were doing. I’m going to clean the wound and apply internal sutures. You can wait outside.”
“With all due respect, he’s my dad and I will never leave his side,” Oz said firmly.
“As you wish,” Thelma retorted as she saw Lloyd grab and squeeze his son’s hand.
About 30 minutes later, the wound on Lloyd’s neck was sutured and covered with fresh bandages.
“Keep the wound clean and apply triple antibiotic cream three times a day,” Thelma insisted. “Now, sounds as if my dad wants the 5 gallons of diesel fuel. What ammo do you have?” Thelma asked.
“We have 9mm and 12 gauge,” Oz said as he helped his dad to sit up.
“Okay, 500 rounds of 9mm, 200 rounds of 12 gauge, the diesel, and 10 ounces of silver,” Thelma stated as she cleaned up the area.
“Nope,” Oz said quickly. “Three hundred rounds of 9mm, 50 rounds of 12 gauge, five gallons of diesel fuel, and 10 ounces of silver. Bullets are worth more than gold.”
Thelma’s face turned red when she turned around to face Oz and countered, “500 rounds of 9mm, 200 rounds of 12 gauge, the diesel fuel, and 10 ounces of silver, plus I’ll throw in 5-pint jars of apple cinnamon moonshine and 5-pint jars of straight moonshine. You can drink it, trade it, or use it to disinfect wounds. Your choice.”
Oz thought for a minute and realized alcohol would have a high trading value and, in fact, could be used to help clean wounds. The loss of the ammunition would not make a dent in their supply and could, perhaps, save the life of someone in that small town.
“Deal,” Oz said extending his hand to shake Thelma’s.
She simply looked at his hand and turned away while saying, “Leave everything on the counter where you walked in. I’ll put the moonshine there as well.”
Oz and Naomi helped Lloyd back into the Suburban and walked back into the clinic, placing the items on the counter. They picked up the moonshine and returned to the vehicle.
“So far our three-hour trip has been four hours,” Nicki declared.
“I know,” Oz answered. “We need to put some distance between us and this city. They know we have stuff to trade. Let’s hope they don’t get greedy and stop us again. Let’s go.”
Nicki turned the Suburban onto the main road and they continued their journey to ZP.
15
ENTROPY – ORGANIZED CHAOS
Brian had a difficult decision to make. They couldn’t simply go blasting their way into the cabin, yet it was only a matter of time before the four men realized Luke was missing. Not knowing if Max was okay or injured weighed heavily on both he and Elizabeth. The only comfort they had was knowing he was in a root cellar; out of the line of fire should a firefight occur.
Before Brian could transmit his plan over the radio, the front cabin door opened, a man walked out and shut the door behind him.
“Tango 1, Oscar Foxtrot. Repeat Oscar Foxtrot,” Brian said.
“Oscar Foxtrot,” Elizabeth confirmed.
“Oscar Foxtrot,” BJ confirmed.
Oscar Foxtrot was a plan the families used when they had to react immediately. In essence, it meant, open fire in your zone, if necessary. BJ would maintain fire 90 degrees to his right and left, Brian would maintain fire 90 degrees to his right and left, and Elizabeth would maintain fire 90 degrees to her right and left. The plan allowed concentrated fire while also providing overlapping coverage should it be needed.
The man stumbled about 30 feet to a tree where he undid his zipper and urinated. He didn’t even recognize that he was urinating next to the tree where Luke had been tied up. The man turned around and began walking back to the cabin. Then he stopped as if realizing something was wrong and turned to face the tree where Luke had been bound. In his drunken stupor he clumsily pulled out his Glock™ and began shooting at the tree.
Brian flipped off the safety on his rifle and fired two shots at the man. He fell to the ground in a pool of blood.
Two more shots came from Elizabeth as she shot at a man peering out the window to the left of the front door.
BJ saw a man coming from the back of the cabin and heading into the forest. BJ tracked his motion by the sounds he made; the man was careless and stepped on every branch and twig in his path. He was heading in his direction. BJ took a second to think about what he may have to do. He had never killed a man before, but within the last 10 seconds he had seen two men killed. It wasn’t like it was on TV. It wasn’t like it was in video games. There wasn’t much blood and the men didn’t get up to live another day. They simply lay on the ground motionless.
The man unknowingly approached BJ who was camouflaged. They were about twenty feet apart from one another when the man stopped. BJ was invisible to the man. BJ noticed a handgun in his right hand and a panicked look on his face. The man was looking intently into the darkness of the forest. He was looking for the enemy.
“Drop the gun,” BJ commanded in a low voice trying to conceal his exact location. “I will only tell you once.”
“Nope,” the man said. “It’s either you or me. I don’t have a whole lot to live for anymore.”
The man began firing in the direction where he thought BJ was. He fired until his magazine was empty. Before the man could reload, BJ stood up and aimed his Keltec SU16™ at the guy’s chest.
“It looks like it’s you who dies today and I do have a lot to live for—my family,” BJ said as he fired a two-round burst into the man’s chest. The man fell forward, hitting a tree before collapsing on the ground.
BJ quickly took cover and radioed Brian, “Zulu 3, one down.”
Brian knew BJ was most likely struggling with what he had just done but had confidence BJ knew now was not the time to dwell on his actions. They still had one man in the cabin who needed to be dealt with.
“Tango 1, I see the remaining man in the cabin,” Elizabeth communicated over the radio. “He’s sitting on a chair. I can’t make it out but something is in front of him. Almost like he’s guarding something.”
“Tango 2, approach from the west,” Brian began instructing. “Zulu 3 approach from the east. I’ll approach straight on.”
The group understood their directions and within seconds each was in position.
“Tango 2, Zulu 3, on me,” Brian said.
Elizabeth and BJ were soon to the left and right of Brian, respectively. Brian carefully panned the door taking small steps, always making sure the area in front of him was clear. The man sitting on the chair eventually came into view and Brian kept his rifle aimed at him. The man made no attempt to move. Brian only had a side view of the man; making it hard to keep the narrow target sighted in.
Once in full view of the man, Brian saw what was sitting in front of him. It was Jessy with a gun to her head. Given the way the man was sitting, Brian was only able to get brief glances of his gun.
“Jessy, are you okay?” Brian asked.
“Yes, but scared,” she said.
“Where’s Max and is he okay?” Brian said never taking his eyes of the man.
“He’s fine,” Jessy replied. “He’s hungry and thirsty but fine. They made us keep him in the root cellar.”
Brian now had a decision to make. He had a clear shot of the man’s head but it was a much smaller target than he wanted. He wished he had a frontal view. If he had, he would have already taken the shot. He knew that if he missed, Jessy was dead. His second option was to negotiate.
“What will it take to let her go?” Brian asked.
“I’m not sure,” the man spoke with confusion in his voice, “I presume you’ve killed my three brothers. They were the only family I had. Even if we came to an agreement, I have nowhere to go and no real reason to live,” he said.
“Let her go and we’ll let you stay here,” Brian stated. “We’ll get our grandson from the root cellar, and we walk away. No more shots
.”
“So, you’ll just walk away and leave me here in peace if I let her go? Even after you’ve killed my brothers?” the man asked in confusion.
“That’s correct,” Brian said calmly but always staying on his front sight.
Brian could see that Jessy was beginning to panic. Her hands were shaking and her breathing was sporadic.
“Jessy, you’ll be fine,” Brian reassured her. “I believe we have a deal that works out for both of us. Is that correct sir?”
“We do, but one question,” the man began to ask. Before he could finish, Jessy reached her hand back and attempted to grab the gun out of the man’s hand. Before Brian could react, the gun went off and Jessy dropped to the floor. The air was immediately filled with the percussion of three shots. The man slumped in the chair and the gun dangled in his hand. Death was everywhere.
16
DIFFICULT JOURNEY
The rifle barrels of Brian, Elizabeth, and BJ were smoking as they lowered their weapons. They looked at each other and slowly turned their heads peering into the cabin. They took a few seconds to take in what had just happened when Elizabeth rushed over to Jessy and grasped her in her arms.
As Elizabeth looked into her eyes, she knew that first aid would be futile. Jessy had panicked, tried to grab the gun, and in the struggle inadvertently pushed the man’s finger against the trigger. She had been shot in the head.
Realizing there was nothing she could do, Elizabeth ran to the back of the cabin and to the root cellar. Brian and BJ immediately followed her to help find Max as well as provide security. As Elizabeth turned the corner of the house, she saw the root cellar doors. She reached for the handles and with all her strength pulled the doors open.
As she peered into the open doors, she didn’t see anything. It was pitch black. Brian grabbed his flashlight and with his rifle at the ready, turned it on and faced it into the darkness. Elizabeth’s heart sank when she saw Max. His eyes were closed and he looked frail. Elizabeth pushed past Brian and ran down the stairs and grabbed him, clutching her grandson in her arms.
She called for Brian who was by her side within seconds. She felt Max’s chest rising, and though his breathing was shallow, she knew he was alive. Together, they began looking for signs of trauma, bruising, or other health concerns. They found no life-threatening injuries, but when she pinched his skin, she could tell he was dehydrated. If he was dehydrated, they knew he was also hungry.
Elizabeth stroked his hair and kissed him on the cheek when he slowly opened his eyes and said, “Nana.”
Elizabeth began to cry and turned to find Brian, reaching for his hand. He helped her to stand and she handed Max to him. Together they climbed out of the root cellar shutting the doors behind them.
“We need to go,” Brian said. “We don’t know if others heard the gunfire. We may have attracted unwanted attention. We really need to get to ZP.”
“Brian,” Elizabeth muttered. “Let’s stay until morning. We need to tell Luke about Jessy and I need to monitor Max throughout the night.”
Brian was nervous about staying one more night but knew it was the right decision.
“We could use the downtime,” Brian began. “Plus, you’re right, it’s going to be an extremely difficult conversation with Luke. It gives us time to give Jessy a proper burial, too. Luke deserves closure.”
“BJ and I will set up a security detail for tonight,” Brian said. “Right now, I need to get Luke and the HUMVEE. Be right back.”
He turned and began walking down the drive.
“I’ll set up a security position near the tree line,” BJ told Elizabeth and began searching for the best position to hide.
THE NEXT MORNING came quickly. Luke had slept all night and had only been awake for ten minutes when Brian and Elizabeth sat him down.
BJ could tell he was dehydrated and disorientated, but other than that looked ok. BJ understood that the conversation that was about to take place was going to make for a difficult and emotional morning.
BJ understood how much Jessy meant to Luke, Brian, and Elizabeth and wanted to do what he could to take some of the stress off their shoulders. Without being asked, he grabbed a shovel and began digging the grave.
AFTER DIGGING A three-foot-deep by five-foot-long by three-foot-wide hole, he walked over to Jessy, carefully picked her body up, and gently placed her in the grave. As he looked out of the corner of his eye, he could see Brian and Elizabeth still talking to Luke.
Within minutes, Luke began crying and grabbed his mother for support. BJ heard Luke repetitively asking only one question, “Why? Why?”
Fifteen minutes later, his parents were able to persuade him to walk to the edge of the grave. Although they would have loved to give Luke more time to grieve, time was something they did not have.
BJ stepped back, clasped his hands in front of him, and said a silent prayer. He immediately thought of his family.
Brian pulled his pocket Bible out of his Bug Out Bag and they all held hands as he read Psalm 121:
I lift up my eyes to the hills;
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
The Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip;
He who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, He who watches over Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you.
The Lord is your shade at your right hand;
The sun will not harm you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm.
He will watch over your life;
The Lord will watch over your coming and going
Both now and forever more.
In unison, the family said, “Amen.”
“Today is the first step of a difficult journey,” Brian said with tears in his eyes.
“Our family will never be the same without Jessy,” he said, barely able to speak. “But as hard as it is, we have to move on. She would have wanted that. Luke, she would have wanted you to take care of Max and continue to live life. You’re not alone. We will do this journey together, as a family.”
Brian and Elizabeth grasped Luke and Max in a big hug. Several seconds later, Brian looked at BJ and said, “Get over here; you’re part of our family too, just like John Wick.”
After the funeral, Luke spent several hours staring at Jessy until Brian tapped him on the shoulder. “Son, it’s time to go,” he said. “The longer we stay here, the longer we jeopardize our safety. We need to have a quick meeting and discuss our plan forward.”
BJ picked the shovel up and began placing dirt over the grave. Forty minutes later, the task at hand was complete.
Elizabeth prepared a quick meal for the family and Brian reviewed the Bug Out plan. They all agreed that they would leave after sunset. Their plans had changed yet again, but adapting to ever-changing events was becoming the norm. Traveling at night did have its advantages; it would provide cover, and the HUMVEE was built to be driven at night making this an even better plan.
As BJ waited for the sun to set, he thought about how he would approach Luke to give him his condolences. BJ had never experienced the death of a family member, and for this he was glad. But he was trying desperately to understand the loss of life resulting from the firefight the previous evening. He was feeling uncomfortable and remained by himself; not sure of what to say. From an emotional perspective, he had no idea how Luke could possibly feel, but it made him miss his family.
As his emotions turned to despair, he told himself, “Turn it into strength, turn it into strength. Get home!”
17
THE ARRIVAL
Oz saw the entrance to ZP and took a brief moment to relax. Nicki slowed the Suburban down and turned down the drive to the final quarter mile before they would see what appeared to be a rundown cabin that camouflaged a metal building that would serve as the living quarters for
the family and guests. Before he could take another breath, he saw a group of five people in full camouflage come out of the tree line and surround the vehicle. They moved swiftly and seamlessly as if they were a natural extension of the forest. Naomi, Oz, and Randall could see they were carrying hunting rifles and shotguns.
“Fingers straight and off the trigger guard unless they fire first,” Oz said as he resisted the temptation to raise his Keltec™ SU16.
Nicki had no choice but to stop the Suburban. There was no route around the men, and going through them would only ensure the death of those in the Suburban. Oz knew if they continued, the Suburban would become a moving target that would simply be punched full of metal fragments.
“Place your hands out the windows and exit the vehicle before we shoot,” they heard a voice say.
Oz looked at the man yelling the commands and took a closer look. He stood about 5’4”, wore old, worn out overalls, and wore glasses that were glazed over. Oz looked closer and saw a familiar bearded and toothless man.
“Van, it’s me, Oz,” Oz said with excitement.
The man walked closer to the vehicle making sure to keep his shotgun pointed at Oz.
“Oz, about time you showed up,” Van said before lowering and pointing his shotgun to the ground. “I didn’t recognize your Suburban.”
Van was the first neighbor that the McTateys and Tregors met when they purchased the property. He owned 100 acres adjacent to their property. Over the years, they became close friends and eventually learned to trust one another. It wasn’t uncommon for Oz and Van to be seen bartering or trading with each other for items the other needed. They respected and relied on one another.
Zulu Papa was often left unattended and Van made it a point to visit the property when he could. He would simply walk the property and check the doors to make sure they were locked and hadn’t been tampered with. If something wasn’t in order, he would give Oz a call and let him know what he discovered. Van was just a good person. Although Oz and Brian never asked Van to check on the property, Van felt it was something you just did as a good neighbor.
The E.M.P. Chronicles (Book 2): A Life Without Power Page 8
