dstraito
TB Fanatic
Tim, Garrison, and Steve exemplified the expression, ‘thick as thieves’ as they took what they wanted or needed. They’d also managed to round up five more people.
They picked up Jim Pruitt ransacking a Wal-Mart. There wasn’t much in the store as looters had pretty much cleaned it out. They came across Joe Williams beating up an older couple so they helped hold them, agreed to split the limited spoils which amounted to a Timex, a wallet with worthless money and credit cards and their wedding rings. They found Candy Barlow in a dumpster looking for food. They were going to leave her there but Steve thought she looked hot with her tramp stamp showing, her ripped jeans and dyed blond hair.
“Might be good for some laughs.” Steve said. Candy said she didn’t mind whatever they wanted as long as they fed and took care of her.
They found Willis Jones who stupidly tried to rob Garrison while he was going through the ruins of a Seven-Eleven. When confronted by Garrison, Tim, and Steve all pulled out weapons they’d stolen or taken Willis quickly gave up. He was a six foot six black man and they figured they could use his muscle against other groups.
The last member they recruited was John Stanley. He was trying to steal a car and he’d hot-wired it correctly only to find out that it was out of gas. Of the group, he was the scariest one. He wasn’t the biggest, his physical presence wasn’t what was threatening rather it was his eyes. “I’m Crazy” just emanated from his eyes so that even Willis didn’t mess with him.
They’d managed to ditch their stolen cars and steal a van carrying ten church members who were trying to figure out how to siphon gas from another vehicle but they weren’t being successful at it. Tim directed the ones still in the bus to get out and then displayed his civic duty by showing them how to siphon. He explained the procedure as Garrison performed it. They managed to get about two gallons out which they put into the van. They waved good bye to the Church members who were now on their own.
“I guess we are the 1st Calgary Church of Christ now.” Steve said.
Tim nodded in agreement. “Okay people, whenever we approach anyone try to act church like.”
Candy interrupted her servicing Steve in the far back seat with a snort.
The van held eight people, all narcissistic self-involved types who banded together because it gave them better odds should they run into any other individuals or groups that were like themselves.
Tim Halloway was the obvious leader though. He’d squelched more than one argument between his followers and Garrison had related the story of the cold blooded killing of the Sherriff.
Tim shouted out “Everyone listen up. For us to be successful I have a few rules you are going to follow.”
Willis muttered “Rules, we don’t need no stinkin’ rules.”
Tim continued. “And anyone that doesn’t want to follow my rules, we can let them out at the side of the road, right now.”
Given that it just started pouring down rain and the fact they weren’t sure if being let out meant while alive, everyone shut up.
“I am your leader. I have advanced military training. We have a few light weapons, we will procure more. We will take what we can by force and we don’t let our victims survive because that could cause problems for us in the future. The grid has been down for over almost a month now. We are going to have a long grinding existence but the key word here is exists. Life will be simple but demanding. We have to be focused and alert at all times. This is our first and most important layer of defense. You will listen to orders I give as it will most likely save your lives. If you doubt that, think about how we came upon you and you are now with us. When we go into areas we are going to look for houses that still have people in them.
Most likely they will have prepped and what they have, we will need. I know the best tactics to employ to seize property and other people’s goods. One of the keys is gathering intelligence and target selection. Targets include those who have large quantities of fuel, food and other valuable supplies. Anyone we talk to we will question them about other people. Who seems well-fed? Who still has transportation? Who has lights? Who has prepared? People will talk either in person or on the radio. One of the main things we are looking for is two-way radios so we can not only improve our communication but listen to other peoples. If you hear a generator running, machinery, cars, tractors, or gunfire, that is a clue. We are constantly looking for victims, anytime of the day or night. At night we look for any sort of light. Even a small flash indicates somebody with electricity and that means a rich target. There is a concept called Operational Security (OPSEC). It is an important concept for you to understand and maintain. No one outside our circle needs to know about our plans, preparations or procedures. Our cover story is we are church members on a mission to help other people. Stick to this story guys.
If we decide to mount an attack we have to blend in with the surrounding environment. If we decide to test fire weapons we do it in one sequence to avoid a prolonged noise signature. Once we find a target we not only plan the attack but the retreat. Only a fool would try to rush in and overwhelm a group of ‘survivalists’. We might take a day or two trying to size up a large opportunity and the best way to take it down. We will observe activity from nearby-concealed positions. We will get an idea of their numbers, weapons, routines and more by careful surreptitious observation. If the group we are watching seems alert, we will try and trigger a false alarm with a dog or child to watch how they react to a threat. Knowing how they respond, how strong they are will let us plan our attack.
Regular patrols at irregular intervals focused on likely observation points and avenues of approach could keep us at bay. One method of detecting their recent travels would be to put down sand or other soft soil in key choke points.”
At that point Steve was finishing up with Candy. He gave a loud groan and her head left his lap and she spit.
“Steve, you’d better be listening to this.”
Several of the others gave a quiet laugh but otherwise kept quite so as not to anger Tim.
Tim continued the lecture on tactics and safety.
“We need to know if they have any dogs because their advanced sense of hearing and smell are able to detect and alert them to us. A 24 hour manned observation point with high quality optical tools is a must. Also on our shopping list are binoculars and scopes. If they have seismic intrusion devices, night vision or thermal imaging they greatly decrease our chances of success unless we too have those, so add those items to our shopping list.
This area has a bunch of hunters. We are looking for some hunting rifles like 30-06 or even better if we could find a .50 caliber. Recognize that a ‘defender’ is always at a disadvantage. By definition a defender will be reacting to our attack. Modern warfare has emphasized the ability of the attacker to operate faster than opponents can react. There is a concept called the OODA loop. These are the steps a defender goes through when under attack.
Number one is observing or noticing the attack.
Number two is Orient to the direction, method and type of attack.
Number three is deciding what the appropriate response will be.
Number four is acting on that decision.
As attackers we will try and operate at a pace faster than they can adjust to. We will change direction, pace, timing and methods to force them to continue to process through the OODA loop. This creates confusion and wastes their precious reaction time. We will disrupt or reset your defenders timing with a counter-attack.
Here are a few tactics we might use.
There is the Snipe and Siege tactic. We begin the attack when we can engage at least half of their personnel in one coordinated effort. We will infiltrate into concealed positions between 50 to 75 yards. We will try to identify their leadership with the first volley. We will each fire two magazines in the initial exchange and then move to new concealed positions and wait. We will stay concealed and wit until they come out to attend their wounded and dead. We repeat the attack as necessary until any resistance is crushed.
We could kidnap one of their members and use them to negotiate our way in.
We could use the fire and maneuver technique. This is not the best option but sometimes it is tempting. We typically infiltrate quietly at night to prearranged start points and begin our attack just before dawn when their senses are dulled by a long night watch or from sleep.
Lastly we develop a plan to evacuate and evade capture. When faced with a significantly superior force it may be the only viable option.
Most of the members of this nefarious crew paid attention. Willis made Steve get up and they changed places. Willis wanted some of the same treatment Candy had given Steve.
Tim said “You guys think about what I’ve said. I’m going to go over it again later and I want you all familiar with our strategies.” He looked in the rear-view mirror to see Willis’ eyes rolled back in his head and Candy’s head bobbing up and down. “That includes you Willis.”
Willis didn’t open his eyes but replied “Yes bossman.”
They picked up Jim Pruitt ransacking a Wal-Mart. There wasn’t much in the store as looters had pretty much cleaned it out. They came across Joe Williams beating up an older couple so they helped hold them, agreed to split the limited spoils which amounted to a Timex, a wallet with worthless money and credit cards and their wedding rings. They found Candy Barlow in a dumpster looking for food. They were going to leave her there but Steve thought she looked hot with her tramp stamp showing, her ripped jeans and dyed blond hair.
“Might be good for some laughs.” Steve said. Candy said she didn’t mind whatever they wanted as long as they fed and took care of her.
They found Willis Jones who stupidly tried to rob Garrison while he was going through the ruins of a Seven-Eleven. When confronted by Garrison, Tim, and Steve all pulled out weapons they’d stolen or taken Willis quickly gave up. He was a six foot six black man and they figured they could use his muscle against other groups.
The last member they recruited was John Stanley. He was trying to steal a car and he’d hot-wired it correctly only to find out that it was out of gas. Of the group, he was the scariest one. He wasn’t the biggest, his physical presence wasn’t what was threatening rather it was his eyes. “I’m Crazy” just emanated from his eyes so that even Willis didn’t mess with him.
They’d managed to ditch their stolen cars and steal a van carrying ten church members who were trying to figure out how to siphon gas from another vehicle but they weren’t being successful at it. Tim directed the ones still in the bus to get out and then displayed his civic duty by showing them how to siphon. He explained the procedure as Garrison performed it. They managed to get about two gallons out which they put into the van. They waved good bye to the Church members who were now on their own.
“I guess we are the 1st Calgary Church of Christ now.” Steve said.
Tim nodded in agreement. “Okay people, whenever we approach anyone try to act church like.”
Candy interrupted her servicing Steve in the far back seat with a snort.
The van held eight people, all narcissistic self-involved types who banded together because it gave them better odds should they run into any other individuals or groups that were like themselves.
Tim Halloway was the obvious leader though. He’d squelched more than one argument between his followers and Garrison had related the story of the cold blooded killing of the Sherriff.
Tim shouted out “Everyone listen up. For us to be successful I have a few rules you are going to follow.”
Willis muttered “Rules, we don’t need no stinkin’ rules.”
Tim continued. “And anyone that doesn’t want to follow my rules, we can let them out at the side of the road, right now.”
Given that it just started pouring down rain and the fact they weren’t sure if being let out meant while alive, everyone shut up.
“I am your leader. I have advanced military training. We have a few light weapons, we will procure more. We will take what we can by force and we don’t let our victims survive because that could cause problems for us in the future. The grid has been down for over almost a month now. We are going to have a long grinding existence but the key word here is exists. Life will be simple but demanding. We have to be focused and alert at all times. This is our first and most important layer of defense. You will listen to orders I give as it will most likely save your lives. If you doubt that, think about how we came upon you and you are now with us. When we go into areas we are going to look for houses that still have people in them.
Most likely they will have prepped and what they have, we will need. I know the best tactics to employ to seize property and other people’s goods. One of the keys is gathering intelligence and target selection. Targets include those who have large quantities of fuel, food and other valuable supplies. Anyone we talk to we will question them about other people. Who seems well-fed? Who still has transportation? Who has lights? Who has prepared? People will talk either in person or on the radio. One of the main things we are looking for is two-way radios so we can not only improve our communication but listen to other peoples. If you hear a generator running, machinery, cars, tractors, or gunfire, that is a clue. We are constantly looking for victims, anytime of the day or night. At night we look for any sort of light. Even a small flash indicates somebody with electricity and that means a rich target. There is a concept called Operational Security (OPSEC). It is an important concept for you to understand and maintain. No one outside our circle needs to know about our plans, preparations or procedures. Our cover story is we are church members on a mission to help other people. Stick to this story guys.
If we decide to mount an attack we have to blend in with the surrounding environment. If we decide to test fire weapons we do it in one sequence to avoid a prolonged noise signature. Once we find a target we not only plan the attack but the retreat. Only a fool would try to rush in and overwhelm a group of ‘survivalists’. We might take a day or two trying to size up a large opportunity and the best way to take it down. We will observe activity from nearby-concealed positions. We will get an idea of their numbers, weapons, routines and more by careful surreptitious observation. If the group we are watching seems alert, we will try and trigger a false alarm with a dog or child to watch how they react to a threat. Knowing how they respond, how strong they are will let us plan our attack.
Regular patrols at irregular intervals focused on likely observation points and avenues of approach could keep us at bay. One method of detecting their recent travels would be to put down sand or other soft soil in key choke points.”
At that point Steve was finishing up with Candy. He gave a loud groan and her head left his lap and she spit.
“Steve, you’d better be listening to this.”
Several of the others gave a quiet laugh but otherwise kept quite so as not to anger Tim.
Tim continued the lecture on tactics and safety.
“We need to know if they have any dogs because their advanced sense of hearing and smell are able to detect and alert them to us. A 24 hour manned observation point with high quality optical tools is a must. Also on our shopping list are binoculars and scopes. If they have seismic intrusion devices, night vision or thermal imaging they greatly decrease our chances of success unless we too have those, so add those items to our shopping list.
This area has a bunch of hunters. We are looking for some hunting rifles like 30-06 or even better if we could find a .50 caliber. Recognize that a ‘defender’ is always at a disadvantage. By definition a defender will be reacting to our attack. Modern warfare has emphasized the ability of the attacker to operate faster than opponents can react. There is a concept called the OODA loop. These are the steps a defender goes through when under attack.
Number one is observing or noticing the attack.
Number two is Orient to the direction, method and type of attack.
Number three is deciding what the appropriate response will be.
Number four is acting on that decision.
As attackers we will try and operate at a pace faster than they can adjust to. We will change direction, pace, timing and methods to force them to continue to process through the OODA loop. This creates confusion and wastes their precious reaction time. We will disrupt or reset your defenders timing with a counter-attack.
Here are a few tactics we might use.
There is the Snipe and Siege tactic. We begin the attack when we can engage at least half of their personnel in one coordinated effort. We will infiltrate into concealed positions between 50 to 75 yards. We will try to identify their leadership with the first volley. We will each fire two magazines in the initial exchange and then move to new concealed positions and wait. We will stay concealed and wit until they come out to attend their wounded and dead. We repeat the attack as necessary until any resistance is crushed.
We could kidnap one of their members and use them to negotiate our way in.
We could use the fire and maneuver technique. This is not the best option but sometimes it is tempting. We typically infiltrate quietly at night to prearranged start points and begin our attack just before dawn when their senses are dulled by a long night watch or from sleep.
Lastly we develop a plan to evacuate and evade capture. When faced with a significantly superior force it may be the only viable option.
Most of the members of this nefarious crew paid attention. Willis made Steve get up and they changed places. Willis wanted some of the same treatment Candy had given Steve.
Tim said “You guys think about what I’ve said. I’m going to go over it again later and I want you all familiar with our strategies.” He looked in the rear-view mirror to see Willis’ eyes rolled back in his head and Candy’s head bobbing up and down. “That includes you Willis.”
Willis didn’t open his eyes but replied “Yes bossman.”
dstraito
TB Fanatic
Sorry, didn't mean to offend, I'm just trying to portray what I think the bad guys POV would be and a realistic view on the type of people they would be.
There are good guys and there are bad guys and everything inbetween. One of the things I'm trying to give my readers is a sense of how bad things could get.
There are some bad things coming up with Gorge coming up, I'll try to issue a warning before I post that chapter.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Same for me.
Bunkerdown
Contributing Member
I have to say that it was not a graphic description, it got the idea across without too much detail, but ensured that we the readers were offended to a certain point. As we should be, and , as I think, the author intended. There are BAD people out there. There are depraved people out there. Sugar coating it doesn't make us uncomfortable enough the DO something to help prevent it. and Nancy98, "Quality time" could be construed as cuddling and reading a book, or a little kissing, or insinuating it was something good. Dstraito, Please keep up the great writing.
It also lays out clearly, but not too clearly, that a woman selling her goods for safety won't be off duty just because there isn't room for her to use her back. And if this is the relatively good starting place, then saying that things went dramatically downhill from there will save us a more graphic description later when she is either abused beyond recognition or KIA. You don't have or keep power in the role she is playing, and any woman who considers that a last ditch option will hopefully now realize it would be better to slit her own throat than take that path. And this goes beyond moral issues. Males who won't properly care for their vehicles when survival depends on it sure as spit won't properly care for their whores.
Please keep the story coming. It plays very well in that area that is closer to what reality may very well be and makes many preppers very nervous. We have much to learn from the general discomfort, though warnings to avoid the sexual discomfort would be well received without blunting the message too much.
Please keep the story coming. It plays very well in that area that is closer to what reality may very well be and makes many preppers very nervous. We have much to learn from the general discomfort, though warnings to avoid the sexual discomfort would be well received without blunting the message too much.
I agree with Dreamer and Bunkerdown. I am a woman and I have brought this subject up before when a friend told me that she would "do whatever it takes" to protect herself and her girls even if it meant spreading like butter. In her eyes it was a cheap and easy enough way to ensure her families safety. It's sad that she would rather be abused than to own a firearm. It's reality people. Great chapter!
dstraito
TB Fanatic
Another beautiful sunset approached the horizon but went unnoticed by Doug. He was worried. About Everything. Sean was doing okay but got an infection and the antibiotics were not being effective. They switched to Cipro but it was too soon to tell if they were helping.
He was on his way for his evening meeting with Ralph and he was worried about Ralph.
He was worried because Susan was becoming more distant and their duties kept them apart.
He was worried because he started spending a lot of time around Sheila and was noticing little things like how good she smelled and how outgoing her personality was. She was always up and bubbly and it seemed like a couple of times they shared a moment, a glance held just a little too long, the accidental brush of a hand that gave him butterflies.
He walked into the library.
Ralph was sitting in his customary easy chair and he extended the obligatory glass of Crown. Doug accepted it noticing Ralph’s hand was a little shaky. He sat down across from Ralph.
The last time he’d asked Ralph how he felt Ralph snapped at him so he kept his observations silent but did think Ralph looked a little pale.
“How’s Sean?” Ralph asked.
“He has an infection in his shoulder I’m kind of worried about. Jeb is changing his dressing out twice a day but he hasn’t responded to treatment yet.”
Ralph nodded starring off in the distance.
Doug waited.
“I’ve been waiting to tell you this, Jeb has been treating me as well.”
“What is wrong?”
“According to Jeb, I have congenital heart failure and my kidneys are starting to fail. Of course he is just a veterinarian so maybe he is wrong.”
“Should you be drinking that Crown then?”
“If he is correct, yes, I probably should. He seems to think I don’t have much time without the benefit of a major hospital and some medicines we don’t have.”
“What do we need? Maybe we can take a scouting mission out and round some up.”
“No, I heard the hospital has been looted and there is nothing resembling medicine there. The doctors have all fled leaving patients to fend for themselves. Quite a few in critical conditions died.”
“How did you find that out?”
“Homer Watkins has been monitoring his Ham radio.”
“It appears the Mayor and his gang has been wreaking havoc on the townsfolk.
Quite a few have disappeared, most of their own accord, but a few have family looking for them so the disappearance seemed pretty suspicious.”
“It has been a week since Sean was shot, did Homer hear anyone on the air talking about that?”
“No, but he did pick up a thread that seemed like they were talking about the Compound and how they were building up their numbers so they could mount an offensive against us.”
Doug said “As if we don’t have enough problems.”
“That is the nature of things when the veneer of civilization fades. Peoples survival instincts kick in and even the ‘good’ people can seem harsh. The ‘bad’ people can be a nightmare.”
“What about looking for medicine in abandoned houses?”
“I don’t want to risk anyone’s life for that. Besides, I’m betting by this time there is not much left in the houses. It appears the Mayor’s true colors emerged. He declared martial law and is running around bullying the few people left in the town. Most have left and I just wonder about their fate, seems there couldn’t have been too many places left that were safe to go to.”
Ralph started coughing and couldn’t stop for a full minute.
Doug rose to stand by him but felt helpless. “What can I do?”
When Ralph stopped coughing, he said “You need to assume the leadership of the Compound.”
“I meant, can I help you right now?”
“I don’t believe there is any help for me so it will comfort me knowing you are looking after Susan and the rest of the folks. We have some good people here but most need to be led to the right decisions rather than being left to their own devices. I think I need to rest a bit now.”
Doug nodded and left the room. He ran into Susan as she was coming out of the kitchen. She had a sandwich and was heading back outside.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“I have a goat that somehow broke its leg. I’m taking this sandwich to Jeb as he has been working on it for hours.”
“Oh. Okay, I thought we could spend a little time together, we haven’t seen much of each other.”
“Yeah, I would love that, only I have to go now.”
“Did you know your dad was sick?”
“Yes, he told me about it and told me not to tell you. He said you were worrying about everything and everyone else and you had enough on your plate.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been talking to Jeb about it and the outlook isn’t good.”
Doug felt really out of the loop.He gave her a peck on the cheek and she went outside.
“More to worry about.” He thought, noticing he still had his glass of crown in his hand. He swallowed the rest in one gulp and went to his cabin.
He was on his way for his evening meeting with Ralph and he was worried about Ralph.
He was worried because Susan was becoming more distant and their duties kept them apart.
He was worried because he started spending a lot of time around Sheila and was noticing little things like how good she smelled and how outgoing her personality was. She was always up and bubbly and it seemed like a couple of times they shared a moment, a glance held just a little too long, the accidental brush of a hand that gave him butterflies.
He walked into the library.
Ralph was sitting in his customary easy chair and he extended the obligatory glass of Crown. Doug accepted it noticing Ralph’s hand was a little shaky. He sat down across from Ralph.
The last time he’d asked Ralph how he felt Ralph snapped at him so he kept his observations silent but did think Ralph looked a little pale.
“How’s Sean?” Ralph asked.
“He has an infection in his shoulder I’m kind of worried about. Jeb is changing his dressing out twice a day but he hasn’t responded to treatment yet.”
Ralph nodded starring off in the distance.
Doug waited.
“I’ve been waiting to tell you this, Jeb has been treating me as well.”
“What is wrong?”
“According to Jeb, I have congenital heart failure and my kidneys are starting to fail. Of course he is just a veterinarian so maybe he is wrong.”
“Should you be drinking that Crown then?”
“If he is correct, yes, I probably should. He seems to think I don’t have much time without the benefit of a major hospital and some medicines we don’t have.”
“What do we need? Maybe we can take a scouting mission out and round some up.”
“No, I heard the hospital has been looted and there is nothing resembling medicine there. The doctors have all fled leaving patients to fend for themselves. Quite a few in critical conditions died.”
“How did you find that out?”
“Homer Watkins has been monitoring his Ham radio.”
“It appears the Mayor and his gang has been wreaking havoc on the townsfolk.
Quite a few have disappeared, most of their own accord, but a few have family looking for them so the disappearance seemed pretty suspicious.”
“It has been a week since Sean was shot, did Homer hear anyone on the air talking about that?”
“No, but he did pick up a thread that seemed like they were talking about the Compound and how they were building up their numbers so they could mount an offensive against us.”
Doug said “As if we don’t have enough problems.”
“That is the nature of things when the veneer of civilization fades. Peoples survival instincts kick in and even the ‘good’ people can seem harsh. The ‘bad’ people can be a nightmare.”
“What about looking for medicine in abandoned houses?”
“I don’t want to risk anyone’s life for that. Besides, I’m betting by this time there is not much left in the houses. It appears the Mayor’s true colors emerged. He declared martial law and is running around bullying the few people left in the town. Most have left and I just wonder about their fate, seems there couldn’t have been too many places left that were safe to go to.”
Ralph started coughing and couldn’t stop for a full minute.
Doug rose to stand by him but felt helpless. “What can I do?”
When Ralph stopped coughing, he said “You need to assume the leadership of the Compound.”
“I meant, can I help you right now?”
“I don’t believe there is any help for me so it will comfort me knowing you are looking after Susan and the rest of the folks. We have some good people here but most need to be led to the right decisions rather than being left to their own devices. I think I need to rest a bit now.”
Doug nodded and left the room. He ran into Susan as she was coming out of the kitchen. She had a sandwich and was heading back outside.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“I have a goat that somehow broke its leg. I’m taking this sandwich to Jeb as he has been working on it for hours.”
“Oh. Okay, I thought we could spend a little time together, we haven’t seen much of each other.”
“Yeah, I would love that, only I have to go now.”
“Did you know your dad was sick?”
“Yes, he told me about it and told me not to tell you. He said you were worrying about everything and everyone else and you had enough on your plate.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been talking to Jeb about it and the outlook isn’t good.”
Doug felt really out of the loop.He gave her a peck on the cheek and she went outside.
“More to worry about.” He thought, noticing he still had his glass of crown in his hand. He swallowed the rest in one gulp and went to his cabin.
dstraito
TB Fanatic
Gorge was listening to a cassette playing Mexican rock. Mexican rock peaked in the 1980’s with authentic sounds and styles. This particular band was from a Mexican barrio called East Los Angeles. The sound was similar to Carlos Santana who some say was influence by this band. His drive through New Mexico proved uneventful.
He’d thought about putting a cap in a guy that came out of a McDonalds restaurant bathroom too quick and almost ran into him but he had to go really bad. He had been drinking beer the entire trip which was starting to make for frequent stops. He never listened to the radio stations; he didn’t care about the news. If he had he would have learned about the hurricane, the New Madrid Earthquake, the power outages, and more importantly, the civil unrest and martial law being declared across the nation. As he crossed into Texas, if he had been paying attention he might have seen the glow in his rear view mirror disappear but he wasn’t. He drove into El Paso and found a rundown part of town that he was very comfortable with.
He found a hotel that ran the same kind of operation he’d run back in California, that is dealing in poverty, corruption and the violent drug war along with the proliferation of sexual slavery. It was relatively easy to find women and children, indigenous persons, and undocumented migrants and force them to work in table dance bars or as prostitutes under threat of further harm to them or their familes.
The one he picked in his drunken stupor, other than a few bruises actually lasted the week relatively unscathed while the majority of the time he was passed out from massive quantities of vodka and pot. After a week, he was sober enough to see the television Juanita had on. He’d paid for the week for her and his week was just about up. Seeing the news about the country in turmoil he quickly got dressed and left, afraid of arriving in Fort Worth too late to suit his boss and having consequences.
He got back on the road but there were abandoned vehicles everywhere so it was slow going. There were a lot of people on the road and they all called out for help as he passed them. He just ignored most of them, honked at a few that actually stepped toward his vehicle.
He made it to Kent which was just before the I10 and I20 split when he ran out of gas. He coasted to the side of the road next to three other cars. He looked in all directions. There was no one around. Shrugging, he started walking West.
He’d thought about putting a cap in a guy that came out of a McDonalds restaurant bathroom too quick and almost ran into him but he had to go really bad. He had been drinking beer the entire trip which was starting to make for frequent stops. He never listened to the radio stations; he didn’t care about the news. If he had he would have learned about the hurricane, the New Madrid Earthquake, the power outages, and more importantly, the civil unrest and martial law being declared across the nation. As he crossed into Texas, if he had been paying attention he might have seen the glow in his rear view mirror disappear but he wasn’t. He drove into El Paso and found a rundown part of town that he was very comfortable with.
He found a hotel that ran the same kind of operation he’d run back in California, that is dealing in poverty, corruption and the violent drug war along with the proliferation of sexual slavery. It was relatively easy to find women and children, indigenous persons, and undocumented migrants and force them to work in table dance bars or as prostitutes under threat of further harm to them or their familes.
The one he picked in his drunken stupor, other than a few bruises actually lasted the week relatively unscathed while the majority of the time he was passed out from massive quantities of vodka and pot. After a week, he was sober enough to see the television Juanita had on. He’d paid for the week for her and his week was just about up. Seeing the news about the country in turmoil he quickly got dressed and left, afraid of arriving in Fort Worth too late to suit his boss and having consequences.
He got back on the road but there were abandoned vehicles everywhere so it was slow going. There were a lot of people on the road and they all called out for help as he passed them. He just ignored most of them, honked at a few that actually stepped toward his vehicle.
He made it to Kent which was just before the I10 and I20 split when he ran out of gas. He coasted to the side of the road next to three other cars. He looked in all directions. There was no one around. Shrugging, he started walking West.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Seems Susan isn't a survivor and is gonna loose Doug if she doesn't watch out, better get it settled who will be the leader of the compound. and all they need is a gandsta comin to town ack.
stjwelding
Veteran Member
dstraito What a great story, I finely caught up. I think that you have one fantastic story hear and am looking forward to reading the rest of it. Thanks again for the the story and for sharing it with us.
Wayne
Wayne
dstraito
TB Fanatic
Yes I did mean that, good catch, thanks. Sometimes the hands type faster than the brain works
I'm there with you dstraito. I just piped up because that could be harder to catch in later editing than more basic stuff. I love the story, and can't wait for -m-o-r-e-... moar. OK, I'm now officially a moar zombie for your story.
dstraito
TB Fanatic
The Mayor pointed his finger at Larry, Curly, and Moe, as he thought of them. Mark, Zack and Mack did their best to listen to him but all three were lit. Some of the booty they had rounded up from the local populace involved some of the illegal variety such as hydrocodone, Crystal Meth, and pot. Hydrocodone was one of the most abused legal drugs while Meth was a very common and addictive stimulant.
Taking all three was not really recommended hence the reason the three stooges were having trouble paying attention. They’d smoked a glass pipe about 10 hours earlier and the energy and alertness had worn off.
The Mayor continued “I don’t know what you guys think you are doing? You have run off anyone that can contribute anything to this town.”
Mark said “Yeah, but we got their stuff first. We have enough at your warehouse to last for a long time.”
“Unless they get to an authority and that authority comes to check out what is going on here.”
Mark seemed to be the spokesperson for the three. “There ain’t no one left in authority, no one is going to come looking for us.”
“If they do, I’m not going to be held accountable for your actions.” He said indicating the three of them.
Mark, feeling agitated and irritable said “You in this just as deep as we are, don’t try to throw us under the bus.”
“I don’t have to; you are doing a pretty good job of that yourselves.”
Mark just sulked.
“Do you still have the compound under surveillance?”
“Yeah, but they are a lot more careful now, we aren’t seeing much and they don’t leave themselves open. Bastards killed Bubba. I don’t know who did it, we found him lying there with three bullet holes.”
“Look, we need to get into that compound, disrupt them, make them feel like they aren’t safe so some will leave. If we can get their numbers down we can take them out and have the compound to ourselves. It would be much safer than the warehouse.”
“We probably don’t have enough people to do that anymore. Another group left overnight.”
“What? Why didn’t you stop them?”
“We didn’t see them go.” Mark said. They had conscripted about fifty townsfolk under the guise of martial law but many of the unwilling participants left when they got the opportunity.
“We are down to about 15 and some of them are just kids.”
“Well go round up some more; we need to smoke the old bastard out.”
Mark knew the Mayor was talking about Ralph.
The Mayor wave a hand at them in a dismissive gesture and the three left the office.
Taking all three was not really recommended hence the reason the three stooges were having trouble paying attention. They’d smoked a glass pipe about 10 hours earlier and the energy and alertness had worn off.
The Mayor continued “I don’t know what you guys think you are doing? You have run off anyone that can contribute anything to this town.”
Mark said “Yeah, but we got their stuff first. We have enough at your warehouse to last for a long time.”
“Unless they get to an authority and that authority comes to check out what is going on here.”
Mark seemed to be the spokesperson for the three. “There ain’t no one left in authority, no one is going to come looking for us.”
“If they do, I’m not going to be held accountable for your actions.” He said indicating the three of them.
Mark, feeling agitated and irritable said “You in this just as deep as we are, don’t try to throw us under the bus.”
“I don’t have to; you are doing a pretty good job of that yourselves.”
Mark just sulked.
“Do you still have the compound under surveillance?”
“Yeah, but they are a lot more careful now, we aren’t seeing much and they don’t leave themselves open. Bastards killed Bubba. I don’t know who did it, we found him lying there with three bullet holes.”
“Look, we need to get into that compound, disrupt them, make them feel like they aren’t safe so some will leave. If we can get their numbers down we can take them out and have the compound to ourselves. It would be much safer than the warehouse.”
“We probably don’t have enough people to do that anymore. Another group left overnight.”
“What? Why didn’t you stop them?”
“We didn’t see them go.” Mark said. They had conscripted about fifty townsfolk under the guise of martial law but many of the unwilling participants left when they got the opportunity.
“We are down to about 15 and some of them are just kids.”
“Well go round up some more; we need to smoke the old bastard out.”
Mark knew the Mayor was talking about Ralph.
The Mayor wave a hand at them in a dismissive gesture and the three left the office.
dstraito
TB Fanatic
Colonel Frank Seline had his guys operating efficiently now. They had confiscated the goods from quite a few people in the area. He had intel that showed these people were preppers. Whenever he found a prepper and his stash, he tried to capture them alive. There were a few that offered token resistance but most were couples or small groups and families. The head of the household was usually the only one that could offer much resistance and once you remove the head, well you know how that goes.
The Sergeant Major personally supervised the persuasive talks with the prepper survivors. It was amazing how efficient water boarding could be; those people would give up anyone just to get another breath of air. A couple of different people recently gave up Ralph and the Compound. They’d known someone who accepted the invitation to live in the Compound and told them about it. This was their next target rich opportunity. They had the superior firepower and weapons that the Colonel just knew no civilian group could defeat.
“Sergeant Major, are we ready to take the compound?” asked the colonel.
“Yes sir. We have twenty of our guys locked-and-loaded, we are leaving four behind to guard the supplies.” By supplies the Sergeant Major meant all the preppers possessions they had confiscated.
“Have there been any communications with command?”
“No sir, all communications are down.”
“Then I’ll operate under my own authority until notified otherwise.”
“Sir, there was a report that another Army Unit is in the area but we could not get a confirmation.”
“Affirmative on that, I’ll probably be the ranking officer so if we encounter the other unit, we will place them under my command. Let’s roll.” The colonel said.
They took a Humvee and the APC loaded with soldiers and departed for Paradise.
The Sergeant Major personally supervised the persuasive talks with the prepper survivors. It was amazing how efficient water boarding could be; those people would give up anyone just to get another breath of air. A couple of different people recently gave up Ralph and the Compound. They’d known someone who accepted the invitation to live in the Compound and told them about it. This was their next target rich opportunity. They had the superior firepower and weapons that the Colonel just knew no civilian group could defeat.
“Sergeant Major, are we ready to take the compound?” asked the colonel.
“Yes sir. We have twenty of our guys locked-and-loaded, we are leaving four behind to guard the supplies.” By supplies the Sergeant Major meant all the preppers possessions they had confiscated.
“Have there been any communications with command?”
“No sir, all communications are down.”
“Then I’ll operate under my own authority until notified otherwise.”
“Sir, there was a report that another Army Unit is in the area but we could not get a confirmation.”
“Affirmative on that, I’ll probably be the ranking officer so if we encounter the other unit, we will place them under my command. Let’s roll.” The colonel said.
They took a Humvee and the APC loaded with soldiers and departed for Paradise.
dstraito
TB Fanatic
Chapter – Good Army approaches compound
Captain James Adkins asked his Staff Sergeant David Yates to come in to the office.
They had temporarily setup in a storage unit front office as the building had been abandoned. “We have reports of a Mayor in the town of Paradise that is confiscating goods from the people in the town. There have been several stragglers come through reporting the reason they left their homes being the lawlessness of a man named John Johnson, the Mayor of Paradise. The stragglers were begging for us to send help. They also reported a compound outside the city limits and said they were denied entrance other than not being allowed to join the little community, they thought the people in the compound were alright. Sounds like a little community of like-minded people trying to survive. We will see if there is any assistance we can give them. How many people can we spare to scout out the situation?”
“We can send the Fab Five and maybe eight more in full battle dress.” The Fab Five was the name the Staff Sergeant had taken to calling the five of them that had taken the Oath from the Oath Keepers.
“Okay, we are about ready to leave for Paradise, get them ready.”
“Yessir.”
As the Staff Sergeant left he hesitated at the door.
The Captain asked “What is it, David?”
“Well, sir, we caught a communication earlier that seemed to indicate another unit was in the vicinity. We tried to raise them but the communications were down. I was just wondering if we should try to meet up with them, strength in numbers and all that.”
“Hmm, I wonder too. I heard rumors there was a rogue army unit that was raiding people’s homes and taking supplies. That would be hard to swallow if it is some of ours doing that.”
“If we run into them, what should we do?”
“I guess that depends on where their loyalties lie. If they will follow orders then it depends on their commander and what orders they are given. If they are truly the ones stealing from civilians, then it could mean trouble for us.”
The Staff Sergeant said “We have been gently probing the other eight guys about the Oath and all, they pretty much indicated they would follow orders and even fire on civilians if they were ordered to.”
“We have to ensure they don’t. If we have to, we will take action to stop all enemies, foreign and domestic.” The Captain emphasized the words ‘foreign and domestic’ and left no doubt as to what he meant.
The Captain said “Round ‘em up, let’s go find Paradise.”
Captain James Adkins asked his Staff Sergeant David Yates to come in to the office.
They had temporarily setup in a storage unit front office as the building had been abandoned. “We have reports of a Mayor in the town of Paradise that is confiscating goods from the people in the town. There have been several stragglers come through reporting the reason they left their homes being the lawlessness of a man named John Johnson, the Mayor of Paradise. The stragglers were begging for us to send help. They also reported a compound outside the city limits and said they were denied entrance other than not being allowed to join the little community, they thought the people in the compound were alright. Sounds like a little community of like-minded people trying to survive. We will see if there is any assistance we can give them. How many people can we spare to scout out the situation?”
“We can send the Fab Five and maybe eight more in full battle dress.” The Fab Five was the name the Staff Sergeant had taken to calling the five of them that had taken the Oath from the Oath Keepers.
“Okay, we are about ready to leave for Paradise, get them ready.”
“Yessir.”
As the Staff Sergeant left he hesitated at the door.
The Captain asked “What is it, David?”
“Well, sir, we caught a communication earlier that seemed to indicate another unit was in the vicinity. We tried to raise them but the communications were down. I was just wondering if we should try to meet up with them, strength in numbers and all that.”
“Hmm, I wonder too. I heard rumors there was a rogue army unit that was raiding people’s homes and taking supplies. That would be hard to swallow if it is some of ours doing that.”
“If we run into them, what should we do?”
“I guess that depends on where their loyalties lie. If they will follow orders then it depends on their commander and what orders they are given. If they are truly the ones stealing from civilians, then it could mean trouble for us.”
The Staff Sergeant said “We have been gently probing the other eight guys about the Oath and all, they pretty much indicated they would follow orders and even fire on civilians if they were ordered to.”
“We have to ensure they don’t. If we have to, we will take action to stop all enemies, foreign and domestic.” The Captain emphasized the words ‘foreign and domestic’ and left no doubt as to what he meant.
The Captain said “Round ‘em up, let’s go find Paradise.”
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Going to get interestinggggggggggggggggg.
stjwelding
Veteran Member
dstraito; great chapters, this should be interesting the compound and on like minded army group and one rouge army group all wanting to occupy the same space at the same time, Hmmmmm???????? I wonder how that will work out. Thanks for the story and the posts.
Wayne
Wayne
dstraito
TB Fanatic
I appreciate everyone that is reading and I value the comments. Just wanted to let everyone know in editing the next section I decided it needed to be redone and I have a weekend gig that might earn me some money so I probably won't be able to post until Sunday evening. Thanks for staying with me.
Oh boy, I did not want to come to a screeching halt like this. This story is very gripping and keeps one on the edge of the seat! Anxious to see where you go from here. I'm sorry for Ralph that, after all his planning and prepping, he is falling prey to his own weak body. Will shift the story a bit but it is still a great read. Thanks so much for sharing along with your own work, family, prepping, etc.
stjwelding
Veteran Member
We will all be waiting when you can post again you have us hooked, thanks for the story.
Wayne
Wayne
Sammy55
Veteran Member
Great story, dstraito! Like the others, I'm waiting for MOAR! But I hope you have a nice gig this weekend!
By the way, I understand that you may have to write "graphically explicit" information in your story, and that is your right as it is your story! I understand and accept that. I'll just do like I do other times, I'll skip over that part if I don't/can't read it.
Just want to encourage you to keep writing and keep this story going until the end!
By the way, I understand that you may have to write "graphically explicit" information in your story, and that is your right as it is your story! I understand and accept that. I'll just do like I do other times, I'll skip over that part if I don't/can't read it.
Just want to encourage you to keep writing and keep this story going until the end!
dstraito
TB Fanatic
Doug stood by the side of the gate. He was armed with an Armalite AR10. The .308 caliber had more knock down than the .223 versions. He was alert because of what happened to Sean a few weeks ago. You couldn’t let your guard down and even though there had been no other actions taken against them, you expected one at any moment. He looked down the road and saw some dust rising above the trees beyond a distant bend. Sure enough, there was a vehicle approaching.
He looked through the scope to see it was the Sherriff driving his official ‘Sherriff’ car. The car came to a stop about fifty yards out, the scope crosshairs pinpointed his chest when he got out of the car.
“Easily in range.” Thought Doug. He then thought of the sign he’d seen before he’d moved to the compound on an internet forum – “If you can read this you are in range” and another one – “Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.”
The Sherriff got out of his car twenty yards away and called out – “Hello gate. Anyone there?”
Doug kept the crosshairs on the Sherriff. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk. The Mayor has a proposal for you guys.”
“No thanks.”
“Aw come on.” The Sherriff shouted. “It will be mutually beneficial to all of us.”
“Didn’t and don’t trust you.”
“The Mayor has accumulated some food, water, and weapons and is willing to share them if you allow us into the compound.”
“Go fish.”
About that time he saw a flash from the tree line just beyond the bend. He ducked his head back from the wall about the same time he heard a projectile hit the wall about an inch from where his face had been. A second later he heard the shot.
He whipped around the corner pulling the trigger on the AR10 and whipped back behind the wall. He heard the rifle go off and about a second later felt a projectile go by. He didn’t know how you could feel something that small going that fast but he swore he did. Then he heard the shot from the rifle in the trees. He stuck his head around quickly to try and see if he had hit anything. He saw the Sherriff in his car backing up quickly, smoke coming from the grill.
“It must have gone through the grill and into the engine. Too bad it didn’t go through the Sherriff first.” He thought.
About that time several people ran up, each carrying their weapons.
Doug directed “Shooter by the trees just beyond the bend, keep low.”
They kept low and fired a few rounds where Doug had indicated. Whether there was still anyone there they didn’t know, there was no return fire and the Sherriff’s car disappeared from view.
Doug assigned twice the normal guard and then went to find Ralph to brief him.
Doug looked in the study but didn’t see Ralph even though it was their usual “crown time”. He went down the hall and peered through the open door to Ralph’s bedroom. He saw that Ralph was lying in bed but was awake. He rapped on the door a couple of times.
“Hey big guy, how are you doing?”
The answer came in the form of a coughing fit.
“I’m okay.” Ralph finally answered.
Doug asked “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Ralph said “Just keep on top of everything. The compound has to have a strong leader.”
Doug turned to go and at the end of the hall saw Susan walking in the door with Jeb.
Doug said “Hey guys.”
Susan said “Hi Doug. Is Ralph awake?”
“He is but it doesn’t look like he is feeling too well.”
Jeb said “I want to check on him.”
Even though Jeb was a veterinarian, he was the closest thing to a doctor the compound had.
“Is he going to be okay?” Doug asked.
Jeb shook his head. “Probably not. He has congestive heart failure. That is a chronic condition in which the heart no longer pumps as well as it should to provide blood and oxygen to the rest of the body. Blood can back up which can cause the lungs and other areas to get congested. The organs not having enough oxygen and nutrition can be damaged and not work properly and the damage causes the next cycle to be worse. It spirals downhill from here.
Doug nodded and Jeb walked down the hall toward Ralph’s bedroom.
Doug said “You’ve been keeping pretty busy.”
She replied “So have you. What was that shooting I heard earlier?”
“That was the Sherriff. He came out at the gate and was trying to draw us out.
There was a sniper behind him in the tree line. Luckily no one got hurt.”
“Why can’t they just leave us alone?”
“I’m guessing it is because we have something they want, and probably because we are the only place in the county that is relatively safe. Ralph’s vision for this compound was incredible, his timing near perfect. I don’t think any of us would be safe if it we were not sheltered here.”
“How safe are we really? There are people from town that would kill us to take what we have away. There are people we have turned away that certainly would not wish us well. What else is out there just waiting to harm us?”
“I can’t answer to what is out there, all I can say is we are prepared the best we can be, everything else is in God’s hands.”
There was an awkward moment of silence and then both spoke at once.
“Susan I …”
“I’ve been…”
Doug said “Go ahead.”
“You go ahead.”
“Ladies first.”
She looked down the hall and seemed anxious.
“Doug, we haven’t spent much time together since we moved into the compound.”
He nodded.
“I think I was gun shy,” she said and then looking at the pistol in the holster on his hip she added “so to speak.”
“I wasn’t ready to commit to you and you have been so wonderful.”
“I understand. I can wait.”
She reached for his hand.
“I don’t quite know how to say this.”
He just stared at her.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with Jeb. He has been teaching me how to care for the animals. I’m learning how to do what I have always wanted to do which is to be a vet.”
Doug said “That’s cool. I know you love animals and it will be good to have other people trained. We all have to learn other jobs so we have redundancies, especially the jobs where right now there is only one person that can do any given skill.”
“There is more. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Jeb, because of the training an all.” She paused. “I’ve sort of developed feelings for him.”
Doug opened his mouth but wasn’t sure what he was going to say. A million thoughts ran through his head, collided with each other and fell helplessly to the bottom of the thought well, unable to be retrieved.
After a few seconds Susan said “Say something.”
He was still wrestling with what to say when Jeb stuck his head of Ralph’s bedroom and yelled down the hall. “Hey guys, get in here, Ralph is not doing so well.”
They hurried down the hall. Ralph had gone from pale to looking grey and frail.
Susan rushed over and sat on the bed. She picked up his hand, “Daddy, daddy, are you okay?”
Ralph never recovered to answer. Late in the night he passed leaving his earthly troubles behind.
He looked through the scope to see it was the Sherriff driving his official ‘Sherriff’ car. The car came to a stop about fifty yards out, the scope crosshairs pinpointed his chest when he got out of the car.
“Easily in range.” Thought Doug. He then thought of the sign he’d seen before he’d moved to the compound on an internet forum – “If you can read this you are in range” and another one – “Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.”
The Sherriff got out of his car twenty yards away and called out – “Hello gate. Anyone there?”
Doug kept the crosshairs on the Sherriff. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk. The Mayor has a proposal for you guys.”
“No thanks.”
“Aw come on.” The Sherriff shouted. “It will be mutually beneficial to all of us.”
“Didn’t and don’t trust you.”
“The Mayor has accumulated some food, water, and weapons and is willing to share them if you allow us into the compound.”
“Go fish.”
About that time he saw a flash from the tree line just beyond the bend. He ducked his head back from the wall about the same time he heard a projectile hit the wall about an inch from where his face had been. A second later he heard the shot.
He whipped around the corner pulling the trigger on the AR10 and whipped back behind the wall. He heard the rifle go off and about a second later felt a projectile go by. He didn’t know how you could feel something that small going that fast but he swore he did. Then he heard the shot from the rifle in the trees. He stuck his head around quickly to try and see if he had hit anything. He saw the Sherriff in his car backing up quickly, smoke coming from the grill.
“It must have gone through the grill and into the engine. Too bad it didn’t go through the Sherriff first.” He thought.
About that time several people ran up, each carrying their weapons.
Doug directed “Shooter by the trees just beyond the bend, keep low.”
They kept low and fired a few rounds where Doug had indicated. Whether there was still anyone there they didn’t know, there was no return fire and the Sherriff’s car disappeared from view.
Doug assigned twice the normal guard and then went to find Ralph to brief him.
Doug looked in the study but didn’t see Ralph even though it was their usual “crown time”. He went down the hall and peered through the open door to Ralph’s bedroom. He saw that Ralph was lying in bed but was awake. He rapped on the door a couple of times.
“Hey big guy, how are you doing?”
The answer came in the form of a coughing fit.
“I’m okay.” Ralph finally answered.
Doug asked “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Ralph said “Just keep on top of everything. The compound has to have a strong leader.”
Doug turned to go and at the end of the hall saw Susan walking in the door with Jeb.
Doug said “Hey guys.”
Susan said “Hi Doug. Is Ralph awake?”
“He is but it doesn’t look like he is feeling too well.”
Jeb said “I want to check on him.”
Even though Jeb was a veterinarian, he was the closest thing to a doctor the compound had.
“Is he going to be okay?” Doug asked.
Jeb shook his head. “Probably not. He has congestive heart failure. That is a chronic condition in which the heart no longer pumps as well as it should to provide blood and oxygen to the rest of the body. Blood can back up which can cause the lungs and other areas to get congested. The organs not having enough oxygen and nutrition can be damaged and not work properly and the damage causes the next cycle to be worse. It spirals downhill from here.
Doug nodded and Jeb walked down the hall toward Ralph’s bedroom.
Doug said “You’ve been keeping pretty busy.”
She replied “So have you. What was that shooting I heard earlier?”
“That was the Sherriff. He came out at the gate and was trying to draw us out.
There was a sniper behind him in the tree line. Luckily no one got hurt.”
“Why can’t they just leave us alone?”
“I’m guessing it is because we have something they want, and probably because we are the only place in the county that is relatively safe. Ralph’s vision for this compound was incredible, his timing near perfect. I don’t think any of us would be safe if it we were not sheltered here.”
“How safe are we really? There are people from town that would kill us to take what we have away. There are people we have turned away that certainly would not wish us well. What else is out there just waiting to harm us?”
“I can’t answer to what is out there, all I can say is we are prepared the best we can be, everything else is in God’s hands.”
There was an awkward moment of silence and then both spoke at once.
“Susan I …”
“I’ve been…”
Doug said “Go ahead.”
“You go ahead.”
“Ladies first.”
She looked down the hall and seemed anxious.
“Doug, we haven’t spent much time together since we moved into the compound.”
He nodded.
“I think I was gun shy,” she said and then looking at the pistol in the holster on his hip she added “so to speak.”
“I wasn’t ready to commit to you and you have been so wonderful.”
“I understand. I can wait.”
She reached for his hand.
“I don’t quite know how to say this.”
He just stared at her.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with Jeb. He has been teaching me how to care for the animals. I’m learning how to do what I have always wanted to do which is to be a vet.”
Doug said “That’s cool. I know you love animals and it will be good to have other people trained. We all have to learn other jobs so we have redundancies, especially the jobs where right now there is only one person that can do any given skill.”
“There is more. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Jeb, because of the training an all.” She paused. “I’ve sort of developed feelings for him.”
Doug opened his mouth but wasn’t sure what he was going to say. A million thoughts ran through his head, collided with each other and fell helplessly to the bottom of the thought well, unable to be retrieved.
After a few seconds Susan said “Say something.”
He was still wrestling with what to say when Jeb stuck his head of Ralph’s bedroom and yelled down the hall. “Hey guys, get in here, Ralph is not doing so well.”
They hurried down the hall. Ralph had gone from pale to looking grey and frail.
Susan rushed over and sat on the bed. She picked up his hand, “Daddy, daddy, are you okay?”
Ralph never recovered to answer. Late in the night he passed leaving his earthly troubles behind.
stjwelding
Veteran Member
dstraito Great chapter It looks like a lot of changes coming in Doug's life.
Wayne
Wayne
223shootersc
Veteran Member
very good chapter, troubling times
dstraito
TB Fanatic
I will have another post tonight. I have been really busy trying to secure our future but I think I have just spun my wheels the last two days. Went to the Post Office twice, drove fifty miles to get a copy of our marriage certificate, took our car to the dealer and spent some time with them trying to understand why the $1400 we paid to have the car fixed a week ago didn't fix any of the symptoms we had taken it in for. At least this time they are not going to charge us a diagnostic fee.
Seems like when it rains it pours.
thanks for being patient.
Seems like when it rains it pours.
thanks for being patient.
dstraito
TB Fanatic
Chapter Bad Army arrives in paradise
Colonel Seline and his team crossed the Trinity river. He pointed the driver, Private Bramble toward the middle.
“Find a Main street, every town has a Main street.” The Colonel said.
“Yessir.”
Private Bramble found Main and turned the HumVee, followed by the troop carrier. “Ain’t a real big town, is it Colonel?”
They stopped at the volunteer Fire Department which appeared deserted. In fact, all the businesses and homes appeared deserted. The Colonel and the private got out and looked around. The Colonel waved his hand and the troops started spilling out of the other vehicle. Sergeant Major Raymond Chandler walked up. “Sign said population was 485. I don’t think too many are home.”
Colonel Seline issued orders. “Check out the area, start with the Fire Department.
That looks like city offices check those out, see if there is anyone around. Do not engage unless threatened.” He looked around and aside from a few cars that looked abandoned, he saw no activity.
A few minutes went by when the Sergeant Major walked back up. “Sir, there is no activity or people in a two block area. Two streets over a couple of houses had dead bodies in them, it appears they’d been shot, they were badly decomposed.”
“What about supplies?”
“They’d been cleaned out; none of the houses had anything of value in them. There were a couple of businesses and they didn’t have anything either. We checked out a couple of restaurants and what food was left was spoiled. There were no canned goods, water or anything usable.”
The Colonel rubbed his chin. “Hmmm, where would everyone have gone?”
Before Sergeant Chandler could answer him they saw a car in the distance approach. A block away, the car’s red and blue lights on the top came on, the siren flicked and then turned off. The side read Paradise Police Department.
A man in a disheveled uniform stepped out. He approached the two leaders standing in front of the Fire Department. Holding his hand out he said “What are ya’ll doing around these parts?”
The Colonel said “Who’s asking?”
The man puffed up. “I am Sherriff Kevin Pierce, I’m the law around here.”
The Sergeant Major poked him in the chest with a burly finger. “You were the law around here, we are in charge right now.”
The Sherriff’s hand automatically started to move to his sidearm but he stopped noticing the men behind the two had their automatic rifles at the ready. He said loudly “You have no jurisdiction around here.”
The Colonel took a step closer and glared menacingly at Sherriff Pierce. He said “I don’t know if you noticed but this country is in a world of hurt. Martial Law has been declared and that gives me the trump card here. Should you care to dispute that you may take it up with these men here.” He pointed toward the three soldiers behind him that now had their guns pointed squarely at the Sherriff’s chest.
The Sherriff deflated about as fast as he’d puffed up. “Well, uh, okay, what are you doing here?”
The Colonel turned his back dismissively on the Sherriff walked over to Private Brambles. He talked to him for a minute and then came back. The Sherriff was looking a little lost. “Where are all the people? Where have they gone?”
“Well there weren’t that many to start with and most of them bugged out of here when the city folks started coming through. Many were killed by the strangers, hungry people with nowhere to go, nothing to eat and looking for trouble.”
“From what I can see the houses and buildings are still relatively intact. It doesn’t look like looting or riots, it looks like someone collected whatever these people may have had of value.”
The Sherriff said “Maybe they took it with them.”
“Who is running this town?”
“I am.”
The Colonel shook his head. “I think we have already established that is not true. Who is your boss?”
“I ain’t telling you that.”
“You ain’t telling; well let’s just see about that.”
Two privates from behind Sherriff Pierce stepped up. Each one grabbed an arm and walked him into the Fire Department bay door followed by the Colonel. They laid the Sherriff face up on a table. They tied his arms and legs to the table legs with plastic zip ties.
“You can’t do this to me, I’m the law.”
The Colonel nodded and Private Brambles put a cloth over the Sherriff’s face. Waterboarding was supposed to cause the captive to experience the sensation of drowning. Waterboarding can create extreme pain, damage to the lungs and brain damage from oxygen deprivation. Captives often hurt themselves struggling against the restraints.
Evidently the Sherriff understood what waterboarding could do because he started struggling violently.
The Private began to pour water onto the Sherriff’s face, over the breathing passages. The Sherriff immediately gagged. They waited for a full minute and repeated the processes three more times before they even asked him any questions.
They took the cloth from the Sherriff’s face, his eyes bugged out and red, his veins extended and let him breath for a minute.
Sherriff Pierce got his wind and said “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, you don’t need to do that again.”
“Okay.” Said the Colonel. “We will start with a few easy questions. What happened to the people in this town.”
“They left.”
“Already established, why did they leave?”
“I tole you, the city gangs came by.”
After an imperceptible nod to the Private, the Sherriff got another round of dry drowning.
“Okay, Okay, stop.” the Sherriff sputtered.
“Why are all the people gone?”
“We took their supplies, we took their prep items so they didn’t have a way to take care of themselves, most left looking for somewhere to survive.”
“So you are in charge of enforcing the laws and you breaking them, turning on the very people you are supposed to serve and protect?”
“He told me to, said we had to do it to survive.”
“He who, who is this we you were talking about?”
“The Mayor, the Mayor of this town. Mayor Johnson, he said I had to do it.”
“Where is this Mayor Johnson?”
“He’s out at the Herman farm, edge of town.”
“If he is at the Herman farm, where are the Hermans?”
“They’re gone.”
“Ran off like the others eh?”
The Sherriff looked fearfully at the bucket of water the Private was holding and deciding telling the truth was a great idea. “No, they fought back when we went out there to issue Eminent Domain. We had to shoot them.”
“Eminent Domain, you mean outright theft, right?”
The Colonel continued. “Is this the Compound we have been hearing about.”
“No, that is that Bastard Ralph and his asswipes. They wouldn’t let us in.”
“In to the Compound?”
“Right, said we weren’t the right stuff or some such bullshit.”
“And that didn’t sit well with the Mayor?”
“No, we tried to threaten them but they are pretty well armed. We shot one of their guards in a tower but we couldn’t make them open the gate.”
“Tell me about the Compound, describe it.”
The interrogation went on for an hour. They only had to waterboard him one more time and that wasn’t for more information that was just to show him who the boss was. The Sherriff gave up the description on the Compound as well as the location of the Herman farm where the Mayor, the three stooges and a handful of other cronies were hiding out.
The Sherriff lay passed out on the table, his uniform water-stained.
The Sergeant Major came rushing in. “Sir, we have company.”
The Colonel looked expectantly at his second.
“Sir, Captain James Adkins of the 4th Regiment is waiting outside for you. His squad just drove up.”
Colonel Seline and his team crossed the Trinity river. He pointed the driver, Private Bramble toward the middle.
“Find a Main street, every town has a Main street.” The Colonel said.
“Yessir.”
Private Bramble found Main and turned the HumVee, followed by the troop carrier. “Ain’t a real big town, is it Colonel?”
They stopped at the volunteer Fire Department which appeared deserted. In fact, all the businesses and homes appeared deserted. The Colonel and the private got out and looked around. The Colonel waved his hand and the troops started spilling out of the other vehicle. Sergeant Major Raymond Chandler walked up. “Sign said population was 485. I don’t think too many are home.”
Colonel Seline issued orders. “Check out the area, start with the Fire Department.
That looks like city offices check those out, see if there is anyone around. Do not engage unless threatened.” He looked around and aside from a few cars that looked abandoned, he saw no activity.
A few minutes went by when the Sergeant Major walked back up. “Sir, there is no activity or people in a two block area. Two streets over a couple of houses had dead bodies in them, it appears they’d been shot, they were badly decomposed.”
“What about supplies?”
“They’d been cleaned out; none of the houses had anything of value in them. There were a couple of businesses and they didn’t have anything either. We checked out a couple of restaurants and what food was left was spoiled. There were no canned goods, water or anything usable.”
The Colonel rubbed his chin. “Hmmm, where would everyone have gone?”
Before Sergeant Chandler could answer him they saw a car in the distance approach. A block away, the car’s red and blue lights on the top came on, the siren flicked and then turned off. The side read Paradise Police Department.
A man in a disheveled uniform stepped out. He approached the two leaders standing in front of the Fire Department. Holding his hand out he said “What are ya’ll doing around these parts?”
The Colonel said “Who’s asking?”
The man puffed up. “I am Sherriff Kevin Pierce, I’m the law around here.”
The Sergeant Major poked him in the chest with a burly finger. “You were the law around here, we are in charge right now.”
The Sherriff’s hand automatically started to move to his sidearm but he stopped noticing the men behind the two had their automatic rifles at the ready. He said loudly “You have no jurisdiction around here.”
The Colonel took a step closer and glared menacingly at Sherriff Pierce. He said “I don’t know if you noticed but this country is in a world of hurt. Martial Law has been declared and that gives me the trump card here. Should you care to dispute that you may take it up with these men here.” He pointed toward the three soldiers behind him that now had their guns pointed squarely at the Sherriff’s chest.
The Sherriff deflated about as fast as he’d puffed up. “Well, uh, okay, what are you doing here?”
The Colonel turned his back dismissively on the Sherriff walked over to Private Brambles. He talked to him for a minute and then came back. The Sherriff was looking a little lost. “Where are all the people? Where have they gone?”
“Well there weren’t that many to start with and most of them bugged out of here when the city folks started coming through. Many were killed by the strangers, hungry people with nowhere to go, nothing to eat and looking for trouble.”
“From what I can see the houses and buildings are still relatively intact. It doesn’t look like looting or riots, it looks like someone collected whatever these people may have had of value.”
The Sherriff said “Maybe they took it with them.”
“Who is running this town?”
“I am.”
The Colonel shook his head. “I think we have already established that is not true. Who is your boss?”
“I ain’t telling you that.”
“You ain’t telling; well let’s just see about that.”
Two privates from behind Sherriff Pierce stepped up. Each one grabbed an arm and walked him into the Fire Department bay door followed by the Colonel. They laid the Sherriff face up on a table. They tied his arms and legs to the table legs with plastic zip ties.
“You can’t do this to me, I’m the law.”
The Colonel nodded and Private Brambles put a cloth over the Sherriff’s face. Waterboarding was supposed to cause the captive to experience the sensation of drowning. Waterboarding can create extreme pain, damage to the lungs and brain damage from oxygen deprivation. Captives often hurt themselves struggling against the restraints.
Evidently the Sherriff understood what waterboarding could do because he started struggling violently.
The Private began to pour water onto the Sherriff’s face, over the breathing passages. The Sherriff immediately gagged. They waited for a full minute and repeated the processes three more times before they even asked him any questions.
They took the cloth from the Sherriff’s face, his eyes bugged out and red, his veins extended and let him breath for a minute.
Sherriff Pierce got his wind and said “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, you don’t need to do that again.”
“Okay.” Said the Colonel. “We will start with a few easy questions. What happened to the people in this town.”
“They left.”
“Already established, why did they leave?”
“I tole you, the city gangs came by.”
After an imperceptible nod to the Private, the Sherriff got another round of dry drowning.
“Okay, Okay, stop.” the Sherriff sputtered.
“Why are all the people gone?”
“We took their supplies, we took their prep items so they didn’t have a way to take care of themselves, most left looking for somewhere to survive.”
“So you are in charge of enforcing the laws and you breaking them, turning on the very people you are supposed to serve and protect?”
“He told me to, said we had to do it to survive.”
“He who, who is this we you were talking about?”
“The Mayor, the Mayor of this town. Mayor Johnson, he said I had to do it.”
“Where is this Mayor Johnson?”
“He’s out at the Herman farm, edge of town.”
“If he is at the Herman farm, where are the Hermans?”
“They’re gone.”
“Ran off like the others eh?”
The Sherriff looked fearfully at the bucket of water the Private was holding and deciding telling the truth was a great idea. “No, they fought back when we went out there to issue Eminent Domain. We had to shoot them.”
“Eminent Domain, you mean outright theft, right?”
The Colonel continued. “Is this the Compound we have been hearing about.”
“No, that is that Bastard Ralph and his asswipes. They wouldn’t let us in.”
“In to the Compound?”
“Right, said we weren’t the right stuff or some such bullshit.”
“And that didn’t sit well with the Mayor?”
“No, we tried to threaten them but they are pretty well armed. We shot one of their guards in a tower but we couldn’t make them open the gate.”
“Tell me about the Compound, describe it.”
The interrogation went on for an hour. They only had to waterboard him one more time and that wasn’t for more information that was just to show him who the boss was. The Sherriff gave up the description on the Compound as well as the location of the Herman farm where the Mayor, the three stooges and a handful of other cronies were hiding out.
The Sherriff lay passed out on the table, his uniform water-stained.
The Sergeant Major came rushing in. “Sir, we have company.”
The Colonel looked expectantly at his second.
“Sir, Captain James Adkins of the 4th Regiment is waiting outside for you. His squad just drove up.”
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
oh oh good meets bad.