Oz hugged him even harder and with tears in his eyes said, “I love you more.”
They embraced for several minutes when Oz turned to Brian and said, “It’s good to see you, stranger.” They both hugged each other, thankful that they were alive and more importantly, the families were reunited.
“Get over here, Elizabeth,” Oz said while embracing her. “Luke, it’s great to see you and Max. Where’s Jessy?”
There was only silence and heads looking at the ground. Oz realized she hadn’t made it. There would be time to grieve and talk but now was not that time. The details of her death would have to wait. He needed to get them into the cabin and settled in. They had had a long trip but, but just as important, they would be needed in the morning to help with the numerous tasks that needed to be completed around the property. It was a glorious surprise, but in the morning, the focus had to be the security of the property.
BJ looked around and asked, “Dad, where’s everybody at?”
“Mom and Cali are in the cabin, grandpa and grandma are sleeping, and Randall is on guard duty with Cheyanne at the LP/OP,” Oz responded.
“So, you finally did it?” BJ grinned.
“Did what?” Oz asked.
“You got to build your LP/OP; you’ve been talking about it for years,” BJ said.
“Yep,” Oz replied. “Randall, Naomi and I built it. Would you like to see your brother?”
“Absolutely, but who are Naomi and Cheyanne?” BJ responded.
“I met them while in Georgia,” Oz said. “Long and short is we saved each other’s lives a few times and eventually made it here. They’ve been through a lot. Naomi and Cheyanne are mother and daughter. Naomi lost her husband and Cheyanne lost her father; now they’re a part of our family. Not only that, but they both have a great skill set.”
THE TWO WALKED into the forest and after several minutes, Oz said, “Zulu 1 to Zulu 5 and Bravo 2, don’t shoot. I’m approaching. Repeat, don’t shoot. I’m approaching.”
“Zulu 5, copy,” Randall acknowledge.
“Bravo 2, copy,” Cheyanne affirmed.
“Zulu 5, I need help with something. Can you give me a hand?” Oz said.
“On my way, Dad,” Randall responded.
As Randall exited the LP/OP, he stopped dead in his tracks. He studied the guy with his dad. It looked like his brother but his brother never wore camouflage and never carried a gun. He studied the man harder.
“If my brother was here, I would have heard it over the radio,” Randall thought to himself. “Who is he?”
BJ, in turn, stared at the stranger across from him and began to cry. The person standing before him was not the little brother he remembered. He saw a man dressed in camouflage and carrying both a handgun and rifle and wearing one of those military helmets his dad had bought. The tall slender man had a slight beard and his face looked weathered and tired.
The boys ran into each other’s arms and Oz saw nothing but joy and happiness from the two. They were excited to see one another and, more importantly, they were both alive. They just stood and stared into each other’s eyes, happy that they were reunited.
“Back in the LP/OP, Randall,” Oz interrupted. “BJ, let’s go see your mom, Cali, G-ma, and G-pa.”
“Dad, after I see them, I want to come back and stay with Randall,” BJ said. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Of course,” Oz said with a smile. “You and Cheyanne can change places when you’re ready, but remember, your primary job in the LP/OP is to protect the family. You can talk but stay focused. Randall, I need you to train him on our protocol.”
“Aye Aye, Captain,” Randall responded.
Oz just smiled.
THEY WALKED BACK to the cabin. Nicki, Cali, Lloyd, and Connie surrendered to tears when they saw BJ enter. It had been months since they all had last seen each other. To be together, alive, at ZP was a miracle.
Nicki ran up to him and with tears streaming, embraced him in a passionate hug.
“My baby is home. My baby is home,” she sobbed.
Within seconds, Cali joined her mom in the hug, excited her older brother was safe. Cali knew she would treasure this moment.
“G-pa,” BJ said. “What happened to you? Why the bandage on your neck and why are you limping?”
“I took a few rounds,” Lloyd affirmed. “No big deal. After all, ‘the rock feels no pain,’” Lloyd said hugging his grandson.
Connie patiently waited to hug her grandson. BJ walked up to her and wrapped his long arms around her. She smiled knowing her grandson was safe. She didn’t want to let go.
BJ let go of his grandma and just looked at his family. He shook his head in disbelief and laughed. He was glad to see everybody he loved safe and together again.
As the Tregors walked into the main dining hall from their living quarters, Nicki and Cali were caught completely off-guard yet again. They did a double-take and immediately hugged the family. Nicki looked each family member over. They all looked tired but in good health. Nicki quickly noticed that Jessy was not with them and then looked at Oz. He simply put his finger to his mouth and shook his head side to side signaling her not to ask about Jessy. Nicki understood and held on to Elizabeth for what seemed like an eternity.
That night, the families spent time together, not talking about the difficult journey each had, but discussing how excited they were to be together and how thankful they were to have each other. Several hours later, they all turned in to get a good night’s sleep.
21
A NEW DAY AND A NEW CHALLENGE
The following morning, the families had breakfast together and there was relief. They were together, and though they had many stories to tell of their journeys, everyone knew that the safety and security of ZP would be the first priority. There was still work to do.
Oz introduced Naomi and Cheyanne to the Tregors and they instantly bonded. As Oz introduced Stacey, Brian could see reservation on Oz’s face.
“Any trusted friend of the McTateys is a trusted friend of ours,” Brian said, remaining somewhat suspicious of Stacey.
After the introductions, the McTateys updated the Tregors and BJ on what had already been done to secure ZP as well as what still needed to be completed. The list was long and there was much to do.
Oz took Brian outside and they walked the property. Oz showed him the location of the tripwires and the LP/OP he, Randall, and Naomi setup. They walked past the solar panels, IBC water tanks, raised bed gardens, greenhouse, inspected the outside of the cabin, and then stored the HUMVEE in the metal garage.
Nicki and Elizabeth prepared the medical facility and reviewed the binders detailing the medical supplies, quantities, and locations. Their hope was that the medical facility would never be needed, but it would always be ready.
The women also realized the importance of each family member having, at a minimum, a basic understanding of first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Together they would teach a first aid course that would have an added focus on how to stop bleeding using pressure points, Quick Clot, tourniquets, and how to deal with broken bones in the field. They outlined the details and timing of when they would conduct their training and hands-on exercises.
Naomi, Cheyanne, and Cali reviewed the food supplies and, just as Nicki and Elizabeth did, they reviewed the binders detailing the food stocks, quantities, and locations. They would verify that the food count was accurate which would let the families determine how to best ration and use the supplies, as well as how long the supplies would last.
Most of the food was stored in gallon mylar bags containing oxygen absorbers and then stored in five-gallon buckets. It was a relatively easy storage process. The food was placed in a mylar bag, several oxygen absorbers added, and then the bag was sealed by running a hot iron across the top of the bag. This allowed the mylar plys to adhere to one another thus sealing the bags. Any remaining oxygen in the bag was removed by the oxygen absorber.
Each mylar bag
was labeled with the date it was packed, the contents, the initials of who packed it, and a sequential number that ranged from one to ten based on the number of individual mylar packets in the five-gallon bucket. The packets were placed in the five-gallon bucket and the gamma lid placed on top. The outside of each bucket was then labeled with the same information as the mylar packages, in addition to a sequential number. The smaller the number on the bucket, the older the food.
The food would be consumed from oldest to newest starting with the bucket labeled “1” which was the oldest, followed by “2”, and so on and so forth. The three women agreed that one of the most important tasks the family needed to do was find the cache that held the emergency garden seeds and get them planted. With four months left in the growing season, and thanks to a greenhouse, there was still an opportunity to grow and preserve food before winter set in.
BJ and Luke reviewed the location and status of the numerous caches throughout the property. As they looked at the map detailing the exact location of the caches, they walked to each one, and though they didn’t dig them up, they validated they were still in their original location and intact. Oz had them find and dig up two of the caches that stored 9mm ammunition as it was the standard ammunition used for most of the weapons at ZP.
LATER THAT EVENING, the families reviewed the Threat Condition (Threat Con) plans and made revisions since the original plans were designed for use at their primary residences and needed to be updated for ZP. The Threat Con Plans were actions to be taken by family members if the property or families were compromised. The type of emergency and those available to respond would determine which plan would be executed. The families agreed, updated, and documented the plans. It was the responsibility of each family member to memorize the plans and actions required.
Oz silently reviewed the action plans:
Threat Con Alpha – All family members are to return to the safety of the cabin. A threat has been identified but it is safe to travel to the cabin. Keep your weapons at the ready and, to the best of your ability, take cover on your travels.
Threat Con Bravo - All family members are to seek cover and concealment at their current location. Do not move but remain alert. A threat is present but the location and description is not available or clearly understood. Await further information or instructions. LP/OP security detail to fire flare signaling for Van to send help.
Threat Con Charlie – Identify the closest Tannerite Explosive device to your location. Should hostile trespassers be identified and are in proximity to the devices, shoot the Tannerite devices and report the impact. Engage hostile threats as necessary. Each family member is to carry a map outlining the location of each Tannerite device. LP/OP security detail NOT to fire flare signaling Van to help. They could be injured during an explosion.1
Threat Con Delta – A family member is down and requires assistance. The first ones to respond will be Oz and Brian. If not available, Nicki, Elizabeth, and Naomi will respond and coordinate actions to be taken. All others are to take cover, having weapons at the ready, and standing by. LP/OP security detail to fire flare signaling for Van to send help.
Plan Echo – Worst case scenario. Zulu Papa is overrun. Destruction and injury or death is highly possible. Immediately Bug Out to Van’s. DO NOT SIGNAL VAN. TOO DANGEROUS.
The families planned and accomplished a lot in one day, but it was just that—one day. Oz and Brian knew that they had been lucky so far. Each had experienced situations that could have easily taken their lives or the lives of their family. They had already had to defend themselves but now they had ZP. It was well hidden, off the normal path, and well stocked. Even though they hadn’t encountered hostile people or groups at ZP, it was only a matter of time. They would have to remain ever vigilant.
In addition to having 24/7 security details, the families would need to continually train and prepare for what was to come. They needed to practice the Threat Con action plans and execute them flawlessly; their lives and survival depended on it.
Endnotes
1 The Tannerite devices are painted fluorescent green and orange. It’s important that when you detonate a Tannerite device to be behind cover (something that can stop bullets and high-velocity projectiles).
22
THE FIRST STEP -BECOMING SELF-RELIANT
“Randall,” Oz said. “Grab the SHTF – Elevated Threat Manual. We need to find the cache that contains the emergency seeds we hid last year. The girls want to plant some seeds. Grab a shovel as well.”
Without thinking, Randall ran into the cabin, found the SHTF – Elevated Threat Manual and looked up the section that contained the location and contents of the caches on the property. Several minutes later, he returned with a note reading “B2.”
“Dad,” Randall asked. “What does ‘B2’ mean?”
“Great question,” Oz replied. “In order to make finding the caches easier, I broke down the 10-acre property into an ‘X’ and ‘Y’ grid pattern.”
Oz pulled out a map from his Bug Out Bag and continued explaining his system to Randall.
“The property, as it runs north to south, has 20 columns labeled A-T,” he pointed to show Randall. “The rows are labeled 1 through 20 running east to west. To find the cache, you put a finger at the top of the ‘B’ column and another finger on the ‘2’ row. Where your two fingers come together is the area of the cache. So, in this case, the cache is in the B2 area which is in the north-western part of the property.”
“Pretty big area,” Randall noted. “How do we find it?”
“The caches will always be near a tree marked with an iron peg that sticks up about one to two inches out of the ground,” Oz explained. “The peg is black and hard to see. Yes, I did that on purpose. On average, there are only 20 trees per grid area. Should be pretty easy.”
ONCE IN THE B2 area, they began kicking the ground around the base of the trees.
Randall yelled, “Found it!”
“Great, it’s about one to two feet straight out from the peg,” Oz said. “Start digging. It should be about three to four feet down.”
Fifteen minutes later, the two men pulled the PVC cache out of the ground. It was six inches in diameter and three feet in length. It contained over 100,000 seeds and over 50 varieties of fruits and vegetables. Oz knew that if they had to ever use this cache the option of going to Walmart™ to pick up more seeds was long gone. He knew that seed saving would be the only option if they were to have seeds for the upcoming planting season. The only problem was that he alone knew how to save seeds from the various fruits and vegetables. It was a skill the other family members would have to learn, and learn quickly.
The PVC cache had two end caps, one of which Oz cut off in order to access its contents. With seeds in hand, Oz sat down with Randall, Cali, Cheyanne, and Naomi, and using a similar grid system that they had used to find the cache, he laid out a pattern for each raised bed garden. With 10 raised bed gardens they would be able to raise over 5,000 pounds of food; plenty to preserve and store. It would also allow them to trade or simply give some of the excess to Van and his family.
“Oz?” Cheyanne asked. “Why do you only use woodchips in your garden? How come you don’t use dirt and things like Miracle Grow™?”
Oz was excited that Cheyanne was taking an interest and hoped Randall and Cali would as well.
“Great question,” Oz responded. “First, woodchips are readily available. Anywhere we go on the property we can find woodchips of some type. Second, weeds won’t grow in woodchips because of their geometry. Each woodchip is different in size, thickness, and shape just as each snowflake is unique. Because of this, the roots of the weeds have a hard time establishing themselves. And even if they do, they are easily pulled out, unlike weeds that grow in dirt. Third, when woodchips break down, they decompose into black, nutrient-rich soil. Every year we’ll add new woodchips to the raised beds to replenish the ones that break down. Fourth, as they decompose, they add critical micronutrients like
potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. And finally, the woodchips always maintain moisture. Simply put, if there’s a drought, you can bet the woodchips on the bottom of the raised beds will still be moist so the plants still get everything they need to grow.”
“Wow,” Naomi exclaimed with a look of amazement. “You are just a wealth of knowledge. Glad you’re on our side.”
They all laughed as Oz gave them a packet of seeds each. He showed them the layout he drew up and where each seed was to be planted as well as how to plant them.
As they sowed the seeds, Oz explained companion planting.
“For almost every vegetable we grow there is a beneficial companion plant that will further help to increase soil nutrients and even chase away pests that could destroy them,” he began. “For example, tomatoes and bell peppers can and should be planted side-by-side with basil. The basil helps produce a greater yield of tomatoes and bell peppers while repelling spider mites, aphids, mosquitoes, and flies.”
“So,” Randall said laughing. “BJ was researching marijuana in graduate school. What is its companion plant and where do we plant it?”
They all laughed again.
“Seriously, we should grow some, Oz said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any seeds unless your brother does. I’ll ask him.”
“I was joking,” Randall replied looking confused.
“Your brother has Crohn’s disease,” Oz reminded him. “Marijuana has been scientifically proven to reduce and even eliminate the inflammation in his digestive tract. It also helps reduce the spasms and even decreases the pain he experiences. Imagine not being able to sleep because of the pain, not to mention we could trade it for other things we need as well.”
The E.M.P. Chronicles (Book 2): A Life Without Power Page 11
