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Post by biggkidd on Apr 22, 2019 15:06:54 GMT -6
Real NG looking for the thugs!
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Post by texican on Apr 24, 2019 21:11:35 GMT -6
A,
Thanks for the chapter....
One set of bad guys down.
Another set coming, good or bad?.?.?.?
Only another chapter will reveal....
Texican....
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Post by accountant on Apr 25, 2019 11:47:31 GMT -6
Chapter 31
Lieutenant Dan and Sergeant Pete
“Boomer block the road with the truck. Bill, get your team weapons and get into the trees. I’m headed back into position. Let’s move people!”, commanded Laura.
Looked up towards the LP/OP, Laura signaled for Rattler and Magnum to come back to the main building to help support Boomer and Henry, before running off into the hill.
Boomer blocked the road by turning the truck sideways and the group were in position and waited.
Soon the clear sounds of two big vehicle rumbling down the road towards them could be heard.
Upon seeing the sideways truck blocking the road, the two military vehicles stopped. After some time just idling there, the two vehicles slowly began to reverse away from Safehaven and around the bend before stopping a safe distance away.
As Boomer and Magnum watched from the front door of the main building, two men, dressed in military fatigues and their hands in the air, began walking towards the property and using the sideways truck for cover.
Once safely behind he engine of the deuce and a half, one of the men yelled out, “Hello the farm!”
“Here we go again.”, whispered Boomer.
“What do you want!”, he yelled out.
“My name is Lieutenant Dan McTeague, sir. I have Sergeant Pete Winslow here with me. We’re unarmed. My men and I are with the Tennessee National Guard. We were sent out to hunt down some men who went AWOL with one of our trucks. I believe that this is the truck.”, said Dan.
“Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. I don’t know.”, yelled Boomer.
“It matches the license plate number of the vehicle we’ve been searching for. We heard the firefight and came to see if we could help. Is everyone okay? Does anyone need medical attention? We’ve brought a medic with us.”, said Dan.
“No, we’re all fine here.”, yelled Boomer.
“I see a pile of bodies in the back of the vehicle. Frankly, we ain’t too tore up ‘bout it. They would’ve been court-martialed and sentenced to death for being AWOL and stealing the truck anyways. You did our job for us. We really just need to take the truck back. The National Guard ain’t got too many running vehicles right now and this was one of them. Pete and I are gonna walk around the vehicle and come to the gate so’s that we can get a report of what happened here. Like I said before, we ain’t armed and just want to talk a spell with y’all.”, said Dan.
Boomer paused and looked up into the trees. He saw two flashes of light followed by a pause and another flash of light.
“Okay, come on out, but just so you know, we have you and your men are surrounded. Any funny business and everyone ends up like those seventeen bodies in the back of the vehicle.”, said Boomer.
“Sir, I promise you we ain’t fixin’ to try nuthin’. With them dead bodies, I know y’all are serious.”, said Dan, cautiously walking around the vehicle.
Dan and Pete slowly made their way to the gate with their hands up. Once they were there, Boomer walked out of the main building, AR-15 at low ready. He walked to within 10 feet of the gate and stopped.
“How y’all doin’?”, asked Dan with a smile.
“We’re getting by.”, replied Boomer.
“Sure is a hot one today, in it? I’m sweatin’ like a whore in church.”, said Dan wiping his brow.
“It ain’t the heat, it’s the humidity.”, said Boomer, giving the standard Southern response.
“Yep. That t’is. So anyways, like I said before, Pete and I are just here to get a report of what happened here. Can I get yer name, friend?”, asked Dan.
“The name’s Jason Reynolds.”, said Boomer.
“Well, we’re pleased to make yer acquaintance, Mr. Reynolds.”, said Dan, “Can you tell me what happened.”
“Sure. They wanted in. We didn’t want them in. They didn’t get in. Pretty simple.”, said Boomer, succinctly.
“I see. And how did y’all go about stopping them from getting in.”, asked Dan.
“With bullets.”, said Boomer.
“And how many of you are there on this here farm?”, asked Dan.
“There’s one of me and enough of the others.”, said Boomer.
“Listen Mr. Reynolds, I can see you’re playing close to the vest and that don’t make no nevermind. I just needed the details for the report. My men and I’ve been huntin’ these critters for the past three day and we’re hot, tired, and hungry. It’s getting late and if you don’t mind, we’re gonna camp out around the bend and head back in the morning. You know if there’s a crick close by we can use for water and washing?”, asked Dan.
“It’s called Dry Valley Road for a reason, mister,”, replied Boomer.
“Thank you for yer time, Mr. Reynolds.”, said Dan, “Pete and I are gonna back that vehicle around the bend and get it out of yer hair. We’ll be off in the morning.”
As Dan and Pete were turning to go back towards the truck, Laura came out of the woods and said, “Hang on, lieutenant.”
Dan and Pete looked at the pretty blonde, with green eyes and the rifle slung over her shoulder, approaching them and Dan said, “Afternoon, ma’am.”
“Good afternoon. I’m sorry. It appears that Jason has forgotten some of his southern charm and hospitality after the events of the day. Would you two care to come in out of the heat for a glass of tea?”, asked Laura.
“That’d be much appreciated, Mrs. Reynolds.”, said Dan, walking back toward the gate.
“I’m not Mrs. Reynolds. You can call me Cassie.”, said Laura with a smile as she opened the gate for the two soldiers.
Dan and Pete walked through the gate into the retreat and Laura closed and locked it behind them.
Laura walked them to the main building and Boomer followed close behind.
Once inside, the men were introduced to Henry, Rattler, and Magnum.
Laura led everyone into a conference room after asking Rattler to brew a batch of sweet tea for the group.
“Now Lieutenant, the reason I asked you in here was really to find out how the National Guard and the rest of the state was doing.”, said Laura.
“Cassie ma’am, when the lights went out, at first things weren’t too bad for the most part. Yeah, there were some rioting and looting in the cities but overall it was manageable. People were getting uptight when the interstates were closed and they couldn’t get to where they were going. But once electronics stopped working, it all went to hell in a handbasket. Food wasn’t getting to where it was supposed to, the water stopped runnin’, and people just plumb lost their minds. They were killing each other for a case of macaroni and cheese or a box of beers. Walmarts and Costcos were looted and burned to the ground. It’s a mess out there. Y’all are lucky to be out here in the sticks. The guard’s been doin’ what it can to keep the peace, but we’re short manned and folks are takin’ pot-shots at us.”, explained Dan.
“What about the army at Fort Campbell? Are they able not able to help?”, asked Magnum.
“They are, but they’ve been sent Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Bowling Green to set up FEMA camps and protect the cities. The guard’s been left to manage the rest. It ain’t been easy and we’re spread thin. My boys have been on the go since this started. We’re exhausted. We’ve been yelled at, spit on, had bottles thrown at us and fired on. We’re just regular folk. This was only supposed to be a part-time gig for us, one weekend a month. Hell, I’m just an architect from Jefferson City. I only went into the ROTC to help pay for my schooling.”, said Dan, before thanking Rattler for the glass of sweet tea.
“And I’m a stonemason out of Greeneville.”, added Pete, “We’ve all got families at home worried about us. We don’t need to be doing this, but we are, ‘cause it’s the right thing for our country.”
“I admire your sense of duty, guys. Have you lost many members since this started?”, asked Laura.
“It wasn’t bad at first. Some guys just didn’t show up. But, over time, more and more snuck off base and just went home. Some took supplies, weapons, and ammo. It’s pretty bad now. We’ve had to double up the guards at the armory and the motor pool. That’s why we were looking for the truck.”, said Pete.
“Do you know how the rest of the country is faring?”, asked Rattler.
“No. They don’t tell us much, just what to do and where to go. I wish I knew. I got a sister tryin’ to make her way out in LA.”, said Dan.
Laura looked at the worried faces of both soldiers and thought about what to say next.
“How are y’all set for supper tonight?”, she finally asked.
“We’re okay. We got some MRE’s. That’ll tide us over for a spell. We really just need water, mostly.”, said Dan, sheepishly.
“Do you have anybody that can cook?”, asked Laura.
“Yeah, there’s a couple of guys.”, came the reply.
“Fine when you go back, you can take a couple three gallons of tea with you and then run some of your men back here for water. Send the guys who can cook up here and they can cook up supper on our grill.”, said Laura.
“We appreciate the kindness, ma’am.”, said Pete, almost blushing.
“Fine.”, said Laura, standing, “We’ll get that tea made up. I suggest you take the truck back with you around the bend and do something with the bodies. This heat’ll make them smell to high heaven.”
“We’ll take care of it, Ms. Cassie.”, said Dan as he and everyone else rose, realizing that the meeting was over.
The two soldiers carried the container with the sweet tea back to the truck and slowly backed it up around the bend while Laura and Boomer watched from the gate.
“Why’d you do that, Spider?”, asked Boomer, quizzically, one the truck was out of range.
“Just making friends. Dan and Pete are good people trying to do the right thing, Boomer.”, said Laura, “They don’t know it yet, but they’ll be in the middle of a crapfest once the Mexicans make it this far. I just wanted to give them something to remind them what they’re fighting for when the time comes. Come on, let’s get everyone out of the store room. They must be going stir crazy down there.”
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Post by griz375 on May 2, 2019 17:46:25 GMT -6
Chapter 9 An Unexpected Meeting Darren and Laura left the house and walked over to the double car garage at the side of the building. Gripping the garage door handle, Laura easily pulled open the large double door of the garage. Inside, Darren saw a large 1981 GMC Suburban with Silverado trim in brown and tan. Amazing how incongruities leap off the page for me -- Silverado is associated with Chevrolet; in that era, before GM started driving everything towards Chevrolet, an equivalent GMC trim level would probably be Sierra Classic
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Post by texican on May 3, 2019 1:20:46 GMT -6
Thanks A for the chapter....
Appears that it will be heating up with the Mexican if they can make it thru Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and over the Mississippi....
Been tied up on a project which I finished yesterday....
Have another one to start today once I get up....
12 plus hours a day makes this old guy even older.... Some of the days were even longer working to 3 and 4 am...
Later....
Texican...
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Post by accountant on May 7, 2019 13:54:00 GMT -6
Hi all,
Sorry I've been away for a while. Truth be told, I've been busy with life, reading "Deep Winter" by Thomas Sherry, and frankly, the muse just up and went on vacation for a while. Guess she was fed up with all the rain we've been getting up here. I tried begging, pleading, threatening, bribing, and serenading but nothing has worked so far.
I decided to write this short chapter on my own. Maybe that might work to get her back.
Chapter 32
Bloodlust and Border Battles
Darren didn’t open the door to the store room until Laura said it was okay to open it. Even then, Clarice kept her AR-15 aimed at the open door until she was certain there was no one else hiding behind Laura and Boomer.
The youngsters and Missy were retrieved from the armory and everyone went back to the main level of the building while at the same time ensuring the doors were securely locked behind them.
When Laura had explained to Clarice and Missy what had enfolded during the day, Clarice was not pleased with the decision to help the National Guardsmen and explained in no uncertain terms that the Missy and the children would be kept in her house until the men left. She also suggested to Henry that Martha and Tara be kept in his home for the same period of time. Without another word, Clarice led the children home.
“Wow, she got pretty hot and bothered about the Guardsmen.”, said Darren to Laura as they watched Clarice leave the main building.
“No, she’s just being careful. The kids are everything to her.”, said Laura, “How are you doing? I know it couldn’t have been easy being locked up down there.”
“It was a lot easier than what you had to deal with up here. Are you okay?”, asked Darren taking her into his arms.
“It’s strange. Going into position, preparing my shots, it was like I was on autopilot. My brain was so focused on the task and my muscle memory just took over. I did my job and eliminated the threat without thinking. Then when everything was over, my brain was all jumbled up. Part of me knew it was the only recourse we had. They would have done God knows what to us if they gotten in. The other part of me was thinking of how those men’s lives were wasted. They could’ve helped the country. Instead, they’re lying in a heap in the back of a truck.”, said Laura holding Darren close.
“Hun, you did the right thing. If they had made it onto the retreat, you know they would have killed all the men, and definitely raped Tara, you, Clarice, and Missy. You did what you had to do to protect us all and keep us safe. They made their decision coming here. It’s not on you at all.”, whispered Darren.
“It’s not just that. It’s…I liked it. I liked the rush I got when I had them in my sights and watched them fall. I had to force myself to wait when I was in position. I was being like I was in the old days. I held their lives in the palm of my hand. I felt powerful. Then when it was over, I was disgusted with myself. They were all somebody’s brother, son, uncle, or father, Darren.”, explained Laura.
Not knowing what else to do, Darren just held her tight and said, “It’s over now. It’s over.”
They just stood there for a long time before Boomer cleared his throat.
“Sorry, but we should probably tell the Canadians to stand down.”, he said once Darren and Laura had released their grips on each other.
Retaining her composure, Laura aid, “Okay, call them in. I want three of them send back to Wilsons’ place and the two others here. Give them one of the FRS radios for their place. At least that way we’ll have a little more notice next time. Rattler and Magnum can cover the road from the LP/OP. I want Darren here so they can see that we have others watching as well. I want you to cover the radios to see if there’s any news. Darren and I can help with the cooking.”
Dinner was spaghetti in meat sauce with fresh peppers and onions thrown in along with a fresh green salad and homemade Italian vinaigrette dressing for everyone. Dessert was boxes of shortbread cookies. All of it was washed down with several gallons of lemonade made from crystals. Clarice had supper brought to the house, for her, Missy, and the kids, by Magnum and Rattler, while Bill and Don took some down to the Canadians at their place. After the meal, Dan had sent a few members of his team up to the retreat to help with clean up and the dishes.
Darren and Henry were at the LP/OP when Boomer motioned for Laura to join him in the communications center.
“What’s up?”, asked Laura.
“It’s started.”, said Boomer, grimly, “I’m hearing reports that the Mexicans have crossed the border in force. Border Security was overwhelmed. Apparently, they send over some Russian Tu-95MS Bears with cruise missiles and were strafing most of the southern border area. Luckily, we have destroyers off both coasts and were able to knock some of them down, but the Mexicans are also using helicopter gunships at low altitudes to hide from the heavy artillery coming from the coast. The destroyers are being harassed by Mexican frigates while their army is swarming across the border. Fort Huachuca in Arizona has been hit hard and right now, it looks like it’s going to fall. The Mexicans are also going after Fort Bliss. The fort’s being inundated by civilians from El Paso running from the Mexican army. They’re calling for reinforcements. San Diego’s being pulverized by shelling from Tijuana and there are heavy casualties. San Antonio is taking rocket fire as is Houston, Galveston, and most of the oil refining areas along Louisiana and the Gulf. The Mexicans are going all in and it’s getting ugly.”
Laura took a moment to take in all the information that Boomer had rattled off to her, and then said, “Okay. Get on the handheld to the Canadians and have them send a runner up to where the NG are. Tell them to tell the NG to start packing up and have Dan and Pete sent up here. We should brief them on what we know.”
As Boomer relayed her message, there was nothing Laura could do but think. She thought about all the millions of innocent people being gunned down by the army of the south or running for their lives. All those men, women, and children who were simply living their lives in blissful ignorance while their government continued to borrow more and more from foreign sources. Now those innocently were paying the ultimate price for their government’s mismanagement. She thought about the captains and commanders of the destroyers out at sea raining death and destruction across the southern border while being attacked by the Mexican navy. How long would their munitions last and what would happen when they ran out? Laura closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before opening them. When she did, Laura looked out at the inky blackness of the Smoky Mountains night looming over the retreat.
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Post by papaof2 on May 7, 2019 15:38:57 GMT -6
I thoroughly understand the unpredictable nature of muses :-(
Deep Winter is one of my favorite stories - especially the beginning: literally doing nothing and being dumped into a world of hurt.
The continuations (Shatter, Remnant) are also good. I think there's a corollary about someone on "the other side" but the title escapes me at the moment.
I also like Second Chance by Grand58742, which you might still find online - if he hasn't published it yet. It's LONG - about 350,000 words - but it's a good read.
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Post by accountant on May 16, 2019 14:53:57 GMT -6
Chapter 33
The Storm
When Dan and Pete arrived, Laura quickly summarized what Boomer had learned for them. She instructed them to quickly return to their base as they would probably be needed by their commander.
Understanding, Dan and Pete thanked Laura for the group’s hospitality and turned to leave when Laura said, “Guys, I know you’ll have to write a report and explain what happened to the group that went AWOL. I would appreciate it if you would leave us and this place out of it. The less people with guns know about this place, the less will have to die over it.”
“We found the truck and the bodies at the side of the road out by Chilhowee. We don’t know nuthin’ about y’all, ma’am.”, said Dan, “’Course, if what’s happening and about to happen, the Guard could really use y’all’s expertise.”
“We’ve fought our fight, soldier. This one’s yours, but let me give you this.”, said Laura, pulling out a pad and scribbling something on it before ripping out the slip of paper and handing it back to Dan, “This is your and Pete’s eyes only, and nobody else, not even your commanders. If things get bad and it looks like your squad’ll be overrun, you’ve always got a place to shelter here. Just make sure you contact us on that frequency first. We’ll be monitoring it.”
Dan took the scrap of paper and slid it into his pocket before he and Pete turned and walk back to their squad.
Boomer and Laura stood at the closed gate and heard the rumble of three military vehicles start up and make their way down the road away from the retreat.
Making their way back to the main building, Laura felt a few droplets of rain fall on her shoulder.
“Was it supposed to rain?”, she asked.
“Don’t know. We haven’t had a decent weather forecast in a couple of weeks.”, said Boomer, opening the door to the main building.
That night a torrential late spring thunderstorm began and lasted for three days. The wind and rain lashed at the buildings and large tree branches cold be seen being swept up in the maelstrom. The hail that fell made a deafening crescendo of sound as it bounced of the roofs of all the buildings. For those three days, each family remained holed up in their individual homes and the Canadians took shelter in the Wilson farmhouse. By the time it was over, the water level of the pond in the middle of the property had risen half a foot and the gentle stream just beyond the corn fields had turned into a raging, brown river.
The sound, or lack thereof, of the rain stopping woke Laura from her sleep and she glanced to the window noticing that the early morning sun was trying to peek through the clouds. Slowly sitting up on the side of the bed so as not to wake Darren, she took a deep breath and combed her fingers through her hair. It was getting longer, and she might need a trim soon, Laura thought to herself.
“Mmmm, where are you going?”, asked Darren, groggily, “Come back to bed.”
Bending down, Laura looked at her innocent, half-asleep husband, and gave him a kiss before whispering her reply, “The rain’s stopped. I’m just going to have a quick look around the property.” He needed a trim too, she decided.
Darren yawned and said, “Hang on. I’ll come too.”, rising to one elbow with his eyes still closed.
“No, it’s okay. It won’t take me long. You sleep and I’ll start on breakfast when I come back.”, said Laura.
Darren reached for and kissed her hand and said, “Okay.”, sank back down into the bed, and promptly fell asleep.
Laura quickly got ready and, walked out into the fresh morning. The storm had cooled the air and she was glad she had brought her BDU jacket along. From her vantage point of the front porch, she couldn’t see much damage from the storm except for the fallen tree limbs which were scattered about. She noticed the water level of the pond and the soft sponginess of the grass as she made her way over to Magnum’s house. Stepping onto the porch, she could already hear the soft scratching being made on the front door by the dogs inside. When she opened the door, Zeus and Apollo rushed out, tails wagging, gave her had a couple of quick licks before bounding off to do what they needed to do. Laura smiled and closed the door, softly. Now closer to the main building, Laura looked up but couldn’t see if the solar panels had sustained any damage from the hailstorm but hoped they hadn’t. They had a few replacement panels in storage, but not a lot. She would have to get Boomer or Magnum to check on them later.
Walking by the white cargo van the Canadians had used, she noticed some pings and dents on the roof, but nothing serious. The Canadians had turned out to be honorable, decent people and she needed to remember to ask the group to allow the Canadians to be taken off probation seeing how they helped and handled themselves when the rogue National Guardsmen threatened the retreat. They were also useful as front-line lookouts at the Wilson farm.
She walked up to the barn where she saw Henry letting the cattle out to pasture.
“Morning, Henry.”, Laura called out.
“Morning. You’re up early. ”, said Henry.
“I’m not a big fan of being cooped up for too long.”, said Laura with a smile, leaning against the cattle fence.
“Yeah, I hear ya. Martha’s just about drove me batty in the house. She figured this was the perfect time to re-arrange all the furniture. For the past two days, I’ve been moving sofas, bookshelves, beds, and anything else she could find for me to lift. I’m glad the rain stopped so I could get back to farming and get some rest.”, said Henry, with a chuckle.
Laura giggled and said, “Be nice, you know she loves you with all her heart. Have you had a chance to assess the damages from the storm yet?”
“Things are pretty muddy right now, but I did do a walk around. The corn was fairly young so we won’t know how much we lost ‘til things start to dry up. A bunch of the tomato plants are gone, as are some of the peppers and other veggies. We might be able to save some if we tie ‘em to stakes. We’ll just have to wait and see. Cattle’ll be happy with that wet clover and grass, though. Want some eggs for breakfast? We have some from a couple of days ago. They haven’t laid much since ‘cause of the storm. I’m sure it’ll pick back up though. If not, I guess we’ll be having fried chicken for dinner in a few days and for a few days after that.”, said Henry.
Laura looked at the old man in the muddy overalls and said, “Can I ask you something, Henry?”
“You can ask me anything you want. I ain’t got nuthin’ to hide from you, girl.”, said Henry.
“I know you can be grouchy sometimes, but somehow you still manage to stay positive. How do you do it?”, asked Laura.
Henry let out a laugh and said, “Grouchy? Heck, you might as well just say it. I’m a cranky old coot. I know that, you know that, everybody knows that. That’s fine. I’m not about to change now. How do I stay positive? I’ve been a farmer all my life. I’ve done my best to feed folks. I’ve done right by others and most others have done right by me. Some haven’t, but that’s a different story. All I know is that sooner or later, I’m gonna end up at those pearly gates, and I have faith the good Lord’ll be waitin’ there for me and He’ll say, “Ya done good, son. Come on in.” That’s how I stay so positive. Now let me get you those eggs."
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Post by texican on May 17, 2019 18:16:27 GMT -6
A,
You do not need a muse for you are great at spinning tales....
Now, end the second mexican war with nukes and get it over with....
Stop the murdering and raping and pillaging by the mexicans....
Texican....
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Post by accountant on May 21, 2019 7:48:06 GMT -6
Chapter 34
Traders
The next few days were spent cleaning up after the storm. The debris at both locations was cleaned off and the solar panels were checked for damage.
Magnum was monitoring the communications center one afternoon when he received a message from the Wilson farm that a horse drawn buddy was coming up the road. The buggy was being drawn by two horses and had two men and six children aboard along with a mound in the buggy covered with a large tarp. They did not appear to be armed. They had hailed the farm, but when there was no response, they had moved down the road towards the retreat.
Boomer and Eugene were at the LP/OP so Magnum contacted Laura, Rattler, and Darren who quickly made their way down to the main building.
The team was in position when the buggy came to a stop near the gate of the retreat.
“Hello the farm”, called out one of the men.
The team eyed the horse and buggy. The two horses were being driven by a thin man wearing a cowboy hat and dirty overalls. Beside him sat the other man who was slightly overweight and slurping from a can of Spaghetti-Os. This was the one who had called out to the farm. In the flat bed of the buggy was a large mound covered with a tarp. On top of this mound sat six children ranging in ages from six to thirteen. All had sadness in their eyes and ropes around their necks.
“Hello the farm”, called out the overweight man again.
Magnum looked to Laura, who nodded.
“What do you want?’, yelled out Magnum.
“Good afternoon, friend. We are simple traders looking to offer up some wares if you would be so inclined. I assure you, we mean no harm to you and we come in peace. If you’d like to come out and parlay with us, I’m sure we can reach an agreement which would be beneficial to both parties.”, said the man.
Curiosity got the better of Laura. “Let’s go see what they have to offer and what they want in exchange.”, she said to Magnum.
“All right. We’re coming out, but we’re coming out armed, so don’t try anything.”, yelled out Magnum.
The portly man smiled, got down from the buggy and said, “I assure you, brother, we have nothing to try.”
"Rattler, you and Flower cover us from here. Spider and I will go deal with these traders.”, said Magnum as he and Laura stood.
As Magnum and Laura reached the gate, the overweight man smiled and said, “Good day to you brother and sister. I thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. And a fine day it is too.”
“What do you have to trade.”, asked Magnum, bluntly.
“Ahh, a man who comes right to the point. Our stocks are slightly low at the moment, but we do have a selection of firearms, ammunition, manual tools and implements, lanterns and fuel, and for the lady, sewing needles, thread, cast iron pots and pans, and a small selection of fabric bolts. Besides all that, we have these young ones available. They’re strong and would do well helping out on the farm and for other more personal purposes. I can personally guarantee that they are well mannered and ready to comply to any and all requests.”, said the man, spreading his right arm out to the wagon.
“You’re selling..You’re selling children???”, asked Magnum, incredulously.
“No, no, no, my brother. Selling children would be unconscionable. These cherubs were given to me by their families and I have been given the great responsibility of finding them good homes. The families were starving and, well, it broke my heart to see these little ones suffer so. I took them under my wing with great humbleness and humility to help give them a better life. All we ask in return is a small compensation to help cover our expenses on our journey. We’re doing the Lord’s work, brother.”, said the man with practiced sincerity.
Magnum raised his AR15 and growled, “Don’t call me brother. I ought to shoot you where you stand, you filthy animal.”
“Ah, ah, ah. I wouldn’t do that, good sir.”, said the man, still smiling and holding out his left hand.
Laura and Magnum saw that it held a dead man’s switch with a wire leading up into the mound under the tarp.
“You see, in order to secure our safety and the security of our merchandise, we have put in place certain, shall we say, defensive protocols. My associate and I both carry these switches so if anything happens to either of us, we can rest easy knowing that our product won’t end up in the wrong hands. Now, would you like to partake in a transaction, or should we be on our way?”, asked the man, casually.
“You God-damned asshole. You’re the lowest kind of evil…”yelled Magnum.
“How much?”, asked Laura, cutting off Magnum’s tirade.
The fat man’s smile widened and he said, “I can tell that the lady is the wise one here today. Tell me Miss, what can we offer you today?”
“The children. How much for the children?”, asked Laura.
“Well Miss, they are all young and strong and will provide many good years of work and pleasure both here on your farm. Why, you might say that they’re worth their weight in gold.”, the man said between cackles of laughter.
“How much?”, reiterated Laura.
“Simon, and Chelsea, being the oldest, I can let you have for two of your rifles and two thousand rounds of ammunition each. David, and Emma being a little younger, I can let go for five cases of canned ready to eat food and fifty pounds of dried beans and fifty pounds of rice. And that’s a bargain for these fine specimens.”, said the man pulling the children down from the wagon.
“I’ll give you one rifle and a thousand rounds each for the oldest boy and girl. You’ll take three cases of food and 25 pounds each of rice and beans for the younger ones.”, negotiated Laura.
“Three rifles, three thousand rounds, five case and 25 each of rice and beans would work for me. Do we have a deal?”, asked the man, coming closer and holding out his hand.
“Fine. What about those two?”, asked Laura, pointing her weapon at the little boy and girl still sitting on the heap in the wagon.
“Dakota and Caitlyn, no, they’re not available. They’re too young, just yet and frankly, I’ve gotten quite close to them in the time we’ve been together, God bless their souls.”, said the man.
“I’ll give you another rifle for them.”, said Laura.
“I couldn’t. As much as I appreciate your generous offer, I just couldn’t.”, said the man.
“I’ll throw in another case of canned food.”, said Laura.
“I’m sorry, Miss. I can’t let them go. They’re part of the defense protocols I mentioned earlier.”, explained the man.
“There’s just one more thing I want from you.”, said Laura, as she punched the man across the face.
The man staggered and fell back onto the wagon. As he righted himself, he smiled a bloody smile and said, “Well Miss, that’s going to cost you another case of canned food.”
Laura cracked his face with the butt of the rifle and said, “I’m giving you three extra. Magnum, let’s bring what we promised.”
Without looking back, Laura and Magnum walked back to the main building.
Once inside, Darren exclaimed, “You’re going to buy children???”
“Not now, Flower.”, said Magnum as he and Laura walked past him and Rattler.
Gathering up the items on a trolley cart, Laura and Magnum brought it out to the horse drawn wagon.
“Here’s what we promised. Now cut the kids loose.”, said Laura to the man.
“Not a problem, but as you can see, I can only use one hand at the moment. Simon, Chelsea, put that stuff up in the wagon.”, ordered the man.
The boy and girl together put all the items Laura and Magnum had brought into the back of the wagon.
Once everything was loaded, the man untied the children’s ropes from the wagon and said, “Now that our transaction is done, I bid you all a good day.”
The man tipped his hat and the other man, flicking the reigns, turned the horses.
Laura, Magnum, and the children watched as the wagon slowly made its way back down the road. The two children in the back didn’t look up or look back.
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Post by gipsy on May 21, 2019 9:03:19 GMT -6
Bet there will be some loud noises in the next chapter for sure.
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Post by arkansascob on May 21, 2019 9:18:43 GMT -6
You know. There are several things in this world that would make me kill--well maybe torture first then kill a person , man or woman and that's a person that would harm children and animals. There are other reasons but I'll keep them under my hat for now. No place in society of any kind for these type of people.
Thank You A for a couple more chapters. I sure hope your muse has some very evil plans for the 2 freaks on the wagon without any harm coming to Dakota and Caitlyn.
COB
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Post by freebirde on May 21, 2019 15:11:46 GMT -6
Time for the Canuks to do a little tracking. They have to sleep sometimes. The horses and buggy would be a nice addition to the retreat along with everything else. Slip into their camp at O dark 30, cut the wires to the mound, then let loose the dogs of war.
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Post by papaof2 on May 21, 2019 17:45:27 GMT -6
Time for the Canuks to do a little tracking. They have to sleep sometimes. The horses and buggy would be a nice addition to the retreat along with everything else. Slip into their camp at O dark 30, cut the wires to the mound, then let loose the dogs of war. Duct tape their hands in whatever position isn't "dead man", then remove the kids, put the guys on the mound and offer to set off the blasting caps under the duct tape to free their hands...
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Post by texican on May 21, 2019 20:47:09 GMT -6
Time for the Canuks to do a little tracking. They have to sleep sometimes. The horses and buggy would be a nice addition to the retreat along with everything else. Slip into their camp at O dark 30, cut the wires to the mound, then let loose the dogs of war. Duct tape their hands in whatever position isn't "dead man", then remove the kids, put the guys on the mound and offer to set off the blasting caps under the duct tape to free their hands... And at lest one or two in their pants.... Texican....
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Post by arkansascob on May 22, 2019 8:09:26 GMT -6
That's it. Feed A's muse with ideas. I'd add some involving fire a vise some balls and a knife but i'd probably get banned.
COB
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Post by accountant on May 22, 2019 9:48:08 GMT -6
Hi all. I just want to warn you that this next chapter deals with some disgusting actions. I have tried not to make it too graphics, but it still turned my stomach as I was writing it. Please consider this a warning before reading it.
Administrators, if the content is unacceptable, please let me know and I will delete this chapter.
Thanks, A.
Chapter 35
Simon’s Story
Laura and Magnum took the ropes off of the children’s necks.
“My name is Cassie. Come on kids, let’s go inside.”, said Laura, calmly as she turned the children away from the gate.
The children looking stunned and shocked, walked towards the main building of the retreat.
“Rattler, get Clarice and Missy down here now!”, yelled out Laura.
Rattler hurried off to get the women while Darren held the door open for the kids.
“Hi kids. My name is Chad.”, said Darren, holding out his hand.
None of the kids shook his hand but walked into the building.
“I’m going to get them settled into a conference room. Would you mind getting them some cookies and lemonade?”, asked Laura to Darren.
Darren made up a pitcher of lemonade and brought it along with glasses, chocolate chip cookies and plates to the conference room when Laura and Magnum were sitting.
Darren put the tray in the middle of the table and noticed the children eyeing the cookies but none of them made a move to take any.
Laura poured each of them a glass of lemonade, put two cookies on a plate for each of them and put the glass and plate in front of each child.
The four children continued to just look at the snacks in front of them.
“It’s okay. You can go ahead.”, said Laura, softly.
The three younger kids looked to Simon, who nodded. The four quickly reached for and finished the cookies before gulping down the lemonade.
“My goodness. You were hungry, weren’t you?”, said Laura, “If you want so more, please help yourself.”
She pushed the tray closer to where the children were sitting.
David tentatively reached out and took another cookie. Seeing him do this, the others took some more cookies and lemonade.
“It’s okay”, said Laura, “No one’s going to hurt you here. You’re safe now.”
Chelsea’s lower lip began to quiver. “We’re…we’re safe? Really? We’re safe?”, asked Chelsea, as her eyes began to mist.
“Yes sweetie. We won’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe. I promise.”, said Laura.
Chelsea put her head into Simon’s arm and began to sob. He put his arm around her and held her as she cried. Seeing her cry, David and Emma held each other and began to cry as well.
It was at this point that Clarice and Missy entered the room. They looked to Laura, who said, “Clarice, Missy, I’d like to introduce you to Simon, Chelsea, David, and Emma. They will be staying with us from now on. Children, this is Clarice and Missy. They have children of their own here too. They’ll help you and won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”
Clarice knelt down, smiled, and said, “Hello children. You’re safe with us. Would you like to come with me and get washed up? I’m sure we can find you some new clothes and Missy and I will introduce you to our children. Calvin, Jessica, and Brian are a little younger than you, but I’m sure you’ll get along just fine. Let’s get you cleaned up and then we’ll get supper ready. Would you like that?”
The four children looked at Laura, who said, “It’s okay, you can go, but we’d like to talk to Simon for a few minutes, if that’s okay? I promise, it’ll only be for a little while.”
The three other kids looked to Simon, who nodded. They got up and left with Clarice and Missy.
After the other three had left, Laura said, “Simon, we need your help. We need to know everything about those men, how they got a hold of you, what they did, and what’s in the wagon. I promise you, we’re not going to judge you or any of the other kids. We just need to know whatever you can tell us about them.” Simon looked at the faces of the adults around him.
“You can trust us. It’s okay. I promise.”, said Laura, softly.
“Where do you want me to start?”, asked Simon.
“Why don’t you start by telling us your full name, how old you are, where you’re from, and the first time you met those men.”, said Laura.
“My name is Simon Whitefield. I’m fourteen. Chelsea is my sister. She’s thirteen. We lived in Maryville on McGinley Street. The men, Mr. Hudson and Mr. Bay, came around our neighborhood about a week ago with their wagon. Dad had gone off looking for food a week earlier but never came back. We were starving. When I heard the horses coming down the street and saw Mr. Bay eating a can of pasta, I went outside and begged him for some food. He already had Dakota and Caitlyn on the wagon. He asked how many people were in the house and I told him it was just me, Mom, and Chelsea. Mr. Bay gave me a candy bar and told me to take it inside and split it with Chelsea and to tell Mom that he wanted to speak with her. I went inside like he said and told Mom. Me and Chelsea were eating the candy bar when Mom came back inside crying, and gave us a hug. She said that we were to go with the men and to do what they said. She said that they would take care of us and take us somewhere safe. She said…She said that she couldn’t come with us, but that she loved us and said we should do whatever the men told us to do. We didn’t want to go, but she made us..….She made us go with them.”, said Simon, with tears coming down his cheeks.
Darren took out a handkerchief and gave it to Simon., “Please continue.”, he said.
Simon wiped his face and said, “Me and Chelsea got on the wagon and Mr. Bay handed Mom a case of canned food. Then Mr. Hudson drove the wagon down the street. When we went around the corner, Mr. Hudson stopped the wagon and Mr. Bay tied the ropes around our necks. He got off the wagon and went back down the street towards our house. Mr. Hudson opened a can of food and told us to eat it. We were so hungry, we just sat there and ate it. After a little while, Mr. Hudson came back with the case of canned food he gave to my mom. We didn’t know what to do. We were so scared. I know he killed our mom. I just know he did. I was just too scared to do anything. Once Mr. Bay came back, Mr. Hudson got the wagon moving again. Later that night, we stopped off a side road out in the country close to the woods, out of sight. Mr. Bay had us set up a tent. Then they started drinking. They both took a branch from a tree and told me and Chelsea to stand in front of the tent. Then they told us to get naked. We didn’t want to. They started hitting us with the sticks and told me that if I didn’t get naked, they would hurt Chelsea, so I took off my clothes. They told Chelsea that if she didn’t do what they said, they would hurt me. She got naked too. Then they made us do things to each other. We didn’t want to. I swear, we didn’t want to, but they kept hitting us with the sticks, until we did. After we did what they asked us to do, they made me watch while they did things with Chelsea. They did terrible things to her, terrible things. I couldn’t stop them. I tried, but they would just keep hitting Chelsea. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t do anything! Then when they were finished, Mr. Bay dragged Chelsea into the tent while Mr. Hudson told me to get on the wagon and cover myself with a tarp after I covered Dakota and Caitlyn with blankets. He sat down by a tree and kept watch. A few hours later, they switched places. The next day it was the same except this time they did things to me too.”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that. It must have been horrible.”, said Laura, “But, I can promise you that nothing like that is ever going to happen to you or Chelsea or any of the other kids again. I promise.”
“It’s all my fault.”, cried Simon into his hands, “It’s all my fault. None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t begged them for food. My Mom would still be alive and Chelsea wouldn’t have to have gone through what she did. It’s all my fault!”
“Simon, look at me!”, said Laura as she went around the table and hugged Simon, “Look at me. It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault at all. You didn’t know how evil those men were. It’s not your fault at all. Now, you’ve told us a lot and you’ve been very brave. Can you answer a few more questions for us? Just a few more and then we’ll stop, okay?”
Simon nodded.
“Okay, now Dakota and Caitlyn. Did they every leave the wagon? What if they had to go to the bathroom?”, asked Laura.
“When they needed to go, they would tell Mr. Bay or Mr. Hudson. They would do something under the tarp and then take the kids down to go pee or poo. After they were done going to the bathroom, the men would put the kids back on the wagon and do something under the tarp again.”, said Simon.
“And what about those things that Mr. Bay and Mr. Hudson had in their hands, did they ever let go of them?”, asked Laura.
“Only when they did something under the tarp.”, replied the boy.
“And what about at night?”, asked Laura
“At night, one of them would hold both things while the other was in the tent.”, said Simon
“You’re doing great, Simon. Just a few more questions. I’m assuming that they got David and Emma the same way they got you and did the same things to them, so I’m not going to ask you about that. Is there a specific campsite spot that they stop at each night or was it just random?”, asked Laura.
“They had a campsite we went to every night. It’s off Johnson Mountain Way, back in the woods.”, said Simon.
“Now, I have one last question, Simon. When you set up the tent, did anyone set up anything with tripwires or anything that would alert the men if anyone was close by or coming to the campsite?”, asked Laura.
“No, we didn’t do anything like that.”, said Simon.
Laura gave Simon another hug and said, “Simon, I am so proud of you. You did great. You were so brave telling us everything. Thank you so much. Now, I think that’s enough for today. Chad and I will have a quick chat outside and then he will take you to where the other kids are, so you can get cleaned up, eat something, and get some rest, okay?”
Simon nodded.
Laura motioned to Darren to speak with him outside.
They both left the room and after closing the door behind them Laura whispered, “These kids have been through a lot and I don’t want to cause them any more trauma, but we need to make sure their physical injuries are documented and taken care of. Have Clarice and Missy examine the girls and I’ll have Don come up to examine the boys. Once we know the extent of the damages done, we can start treatment.”
Darren nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll do that. And Hon, I’m sorry about what I said before about buying children.”
Laura touched Darren’s arm and said, “I know. It’s okay. I understand. And handsome, do me a favor and keep an eye on this place for me tonight. I’m going hunting.”
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Post by gipsy on May 22, 2019 11:49:27 GMT -6
I am taking bets that she comes back with two more kids. Any takers?
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Post by papaof2 on May 22, 2019 14:52:54 GMT -6
And she'll probably leave some food for the vultures...
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Post by freebirde on May 22, 2019 15:09:24 GMT -6
I am taking bets that she comes back with two more kids. Any takers? No, but I'll back your bets. Sounds like pressure switches under the other two kids. I would leave those two sitting on pressure switches connected to a couple of claymores. And leave some food and water out of their reach.
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Post by papaof2 on May 22, 2019 15:39:01 GMT -6
I am taking bets that she comes back with two more kids. Any takers? No, but I'll back your bets. Sounds like pressure switches under the other two kids. I would leave those two sitting on pressure switches connected to a couple of claymores. And leave some food and water out of their reach. Just be sure to read the label on the Claymores - the one that has "This side to enemy" ;-)
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Post by 9idrr on May 22, 2019 20:06:56 GMT -6
No, but I'll back your bets. Sounds like pressure switches under the other two kids. I would leave those two sitting on pressure switches connected to a couple of claymores. And leave some food and water out of their reach. Just be sure to read the label on the Claymores - the one that has "This side to enemy" ;-) Nah, if ya sit the two idiots about five yards apart, facin' each other, don't much matter which way the Claymores are pointin'. Used to work somewhere that had a customer who claimed he'd worked in munitions development and was part of designing those things. One of our guys asked him if it would be like gettin' hit with both barrels of 00 buck. Ol' Bill told us he'd be right back and he returned in about a half-hour. Showed us his notes and had figured it'd be like thirty rounds of buckshot. If you've ever seen what one of those suckers can to, you'd never wanna be walkin' in front of one unless you could see there were no wires attached. Don't mean to hijack the thread, but here's a link to the an article that mentions Bill and his part of the work. Really interesting guy to talk to, quite a historian and great supporter of our military. military.wikia.org/wiki/M18_Claymore_mine RIP, Bill.
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Post by bluefox2 on May 22, 2019 20:49:44 GMT -6
Kind of like a pipe bomb with nails and ball bearings taped to it.
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Post by catspaw65 on May 22, 2019 21:19:08 GMT -6
I would feed them a last meal of roasted weenies and Rocky Mountain oysters. Then I would make them sit on their bomb.
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Post by freebirde on May 22, 2019 21:27:55 GMT -6
Changed my mind, lap full of thermite with a mercury switch trigger.
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