Forsaking Home (The Survivalist Series) (28 page)

Jess smiled. “I don’t know about that. He helped me more than I helped him. Nice to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Sitting in my chair, I rubbed my head dramatically. “You can say that again.”

Thad started to laugh. “There ain’t much you could do to make that punkin look any worse than it already does.”

“Look who’s talking! Cue ball doesn’t cut it, that’s a damn bowling ball sitting on your shoulders. Which reminds me, when you going to cut that shrubbery you got growing up there?”

Thad ran his hand through the nearly inch-long hair on his head. “Trust me, I want a haircut more than you even know.”

“Once we get back home, we’ll make that a priority,” I said with a sly grin.

Mel and Bobbie both looked at me. “Get back home? Are we going home?” Mel asked excitedly.

“That’s right, girls! Sarge and the boys joined with the National Guard and took over the camp. The DHS isn’t a threat anymore . . . which means we’re going home,” Danny said.

Little Bit jumped up from her chair. “We’re going home! When can we go, Daddy?”

“We have to start packing up and get everything loaded. We’ve only got enough fuel for one trip,” I said.

“How are we going to move everything in one trip? It took way more than that to get it here,” Bobbie said.

“I know, but we’ll have to do the best we can.” I looked around. “Where’s Jeff?”

“He’s in the reading room,” Mel said. I nodded, but apparently the statement confused Fred.

“The reading room? What’s that?”

I laughed. “The outhouse.”

She too started to laugh, along with most everyone else. “Oh, I should have known.”

“On a serious note,” I said, looking at Mel, “the house is in rough shape. So is Danny’s. It’s going to take a lot of work to get it back to the way it was before.”

“Did they tear it up?” Mel asked.

“Oh yeah, they did quite the job on them,” Danny said.

“We may not even be able to live in ours,” I admitted.

“Really? It’s that bad?” Bobbie asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, they broke all the windows, the doors are gone, the furniture’s all torn up.”

“Well . . . it’ll still be better than being here,” Mel said cautiously.

“Wait a minute. Why don’t you guys move into the empty house beside us?” Danny asked.

I hadn’t even thought of that. “That’s an idea. We’ll have to look at it.”

“Will we have our own rooms?” Taylor asked.

“I think it’s a four-bedroom,” Danny said.

“Good. I want my own room.”

“Me too,” Lee Ann said.

“One thing at a time, girls. Let’s focus on the move first,” I said.

Thad laughed. “Actually, let’s focus on dinner first. What’s in the pot?” he asked, motioning to the Dutch oven.

“Oh, Jeff got these,” Bobbie said, opening the lid to reveal four medium-sized birds packed in.

“What are they?”

“They were some kind of a black bird with orange legs.”

“Coots,” I said.

“We’ll pull all the meat off and mix it with some rice. Should be plenty for everyone,” Mel said.

“Cool, so dinner’s sorted out. Guess that leaves us nothing to do for the rest of the evening,” Danny said.

Jeff came walking up. I smiled and greeted him with, “Hey there, Cooter.” That got a laugh out of Danny and Thad.

He didn’t catch the joke. “Huh?”

I kicked my foot out at the pot. “Coots, you got some coots today.”

Mel rolled her eyes. “We’re going to go get the rest of the dinner ready. Fred, Jess, you want to come help?” Mel asked.

“Sure,” they said, jumping up.

 • • • 

We all gathered around the big table for dinner. There was a lot of chatter at the table, as everyone was excited at the thought of going home. Jess and Fred were really starting to open up, laughing and joking with Taylor and Lee Ann. Mel and Bobbie were also doing their best to make the two feel welcome, especially knowing that they had been in the detention center at the camp.

Thad carried the big Dutch oven around the table, placing a generous scoop on each plate.

When he got to Jess, she looked up and, in her best young-boy voice, said, “Please sir, I want some more.” The table erupted into laughter.

Thad dumped another scoop onto her plate. “Sure thing, Oliver.”

It was another of those precious moments we enjoy so much now: a moment of humor, a reason to smile and laugh, in these very uncertain times. Sitting under the plastic roof with my friends and family, I realized that it didn’t really matter where we were as long as we were together.

After dinner we sat around the fire for a little while, but knowing that we had a busy day tomorrow, we all turned in early. Jess and Fred would sleep in Danny and Bobbie’s cabin tonight, and Bobbie led them to get settled. I volunteered for the first watch and Mel sent the girls off to bed, staying behind.

“She’s pretty,” Mel said, once everyone was gone.

“Who?”

“Jess, she’s pretty and young. And pretty. I see why you let her walk with you.”

I laughed. “I guess, but when I met her, my first impression was that she was a pain in the ass.”

“Hmm.”

“What? You think there’s something there?” I laughed. “She’s like a little sister—a really annoying one at that.”

“Mmhmm.”

I laughed again. “Think what you want, but remember, I came home.”

“I know, just making an observation.” She sat there for a minute staring into the fire, then got up. “I’m going to bed.”

“Okay, babe, I’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

She leaned over and kissed me. “Love you,” I said as I grabbed her hand. “Hope you know that.”

She smiled. “I do.” Then she looked off toward Danny’s cabin. “And I trust you too.”

“Well, I should hope the hell so!” I said with a laugh.

She walked to the cabin, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The dogs came trotting up and lay by the fire. I was rubbing Meathead’s head with my foot when I heard someone coming. I looked up to see Jess and Fred.

“What are you two doing up? I thought you’d want some sleep,” I said as they sat down.

“I’ve gotten enough sleep for years,” Fred said.

“Me too,” Jess added.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. “So what was it like inside the camp?” I finally asked.

They both stared into the flames for a moment, then without looking up, Fred said, “It’s not what’s advertised.”

Jess snorted. “To say the very least.”

We sat talking for some time, each telling the story of how they met, in turns. They also took time to describe in considerable detail what life inside was like. They said something happened—something bad, but didn’t elaborate—that led them to kill that guard. Jess sat quietly, letting Fred relay what little of the story they told. Then they both talked about how they were detained, the cruel methods used. Jess spoke up about their time in isolation.

“So what about Aric? What’s his story?” I asked.

“He’s a guard, but to him being part of DHS was a survival method,” Fred explained.

“He was trying to bust you guys out?”

“Yeah, he actually had us out, but then Sarge showed up and it just went downhill from there.”

“I’m surprised he’s not dead,” I said, then quickly thought about that statement. “Sorry Fred, I just know those guys and can imagine what they must’ve thought, you know.”

“I understand. I don’t know them like you all do, but I can see where you’re coming from. If it wasn’t for Jess, he probably would be.”

“I just hope Sarge is going to be okay,” Jess said.

“Ah, don’t worry about him, he’ll be all right,” I said.

“I know he’s a tough guy, but he’s getting older. My grandpa was a tough old guy too. He fell and broke his hip and never really recovered. He was never the same man again.” She pushed at a log in the fire with her toe. “I just don’t want to see that happen to Sarge.”

“Well, let’s just hope for the best,” I said.

We sat and talked for a little while longer, than I looked at my watch. “Well, ladies, it’s time for me to wake up Danny. I’m heading to bed. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

“I guess I’ll turn in too,” Jess said.

“Me too,” Fred added.

As I stood up to leave, Jess caught me and hugged me. “You’re helping save me again. Thanks.”

“Aw, you say that to all the sailors,” I said.

She laughed and she and Fred headed toward the cabin. I called after them, “Hey, wake Danny up for me, would ya?”

Jess gave me a thumbs-up over her shoulder.

T
he next morning we were up early, buzzing around the grounds. We used the same method of prioritizing our load as we had before. The basics of living went in first—bedding, clothes, cooking gear, that sort of thing—and then other less important items were to be added later. Everyone was busy, loading and reconfiguring. Fred and Jess were pitching in wherever they were needed. The extra hands really helped out.

Sometime after noon, we were taking a break around the picnic tables when the familiar sound of an engine drifted through the camp. We quickly rose to our feet in uncertain expectation.

“Sounds like there’s more than one,” Jeff said.

“Yeah, diesels too,” Thad added.

In short order a Hummer pulled down the drive, followed closely by a large military truck and another Hummer bringing up the rear. Mike was standing in the turret, grinning like the cat that ate the canary and waving like the homecoming queen.

“What the hell are they doing here?” I asked no one in particular.

“Maybe they’re going back to the other camp downriver?” Danny posited.

Ted climbed out of the lead Hummer, a huge grin on his face.

“What’s all this about?” Thad asked.

“The old man thought you guys could use some help,” Ted said.

“No shit, that’s cool,” I said, then made a show of looking around. “So where’s the help?”

With a grin he gave me the finger. “Hey, we can leave!”

“No, no, no, Morgan, shut up, we can use the help,” Mel said, getting a laugh out of Mike and Ted. Six Guardsmen walked up behind them.

“Damn, you did bring some help, didn’t you,” Thad said.

“We’ll help you guys get everything moved and back to your place. We brought you some fuel too,” Ted said.

“Oh wow, thanks for that,” I said.

“Thank the DHS. We figured they owed you guys anyway.”

With the additional help, everything was loaded in no time. Everything except for one thing, that is: the pigs.

“With all these people here, we can get the hogs loaded up too,” Thad said.

“Oh yeah, this should be fun,” I said, rubbing my hands together.

“Hell yeah, let’s go wrassle some pigs in the mud!” Mike shouted.

“Shit, you ain’t going to be able to catch one, what with your bum foot and all,” Ted said.

That statement started one hell of a challenge. Everyone moved to the pigpen, using MREs as bait to bring the hogs in close.

“All right, Mikey, there they are, go get ’em,” Ted said with a grin.

Mike stepped over the wire, which he insisted on turning off personally. “Just remember I’m half-crippled.”

Ted’s head rocked back as he laughed. “Already trying to crawfish.”

As soon as he stepped over the wire, the hogs knew something was up and started to scatter. Mike cornered one, moving on it in a crouch with his arms out. Deciding on his moment, he lunged for the pig. The porker had moves that any NFL scout would appreciate, and in a flash, Mike was lying facedown in the mud. A howl of laughter erupted from the spectators.

Little Bit was pointing and laughing. “He’s got mud on his face!”

Thad leaned over and out of the corner of his mouth he said, “Wonder if he knows that’s not just mud?”

I laughed. “Let’s wait to tell him,” I said, causing Thad to laugh.

The Guardsmen were quickly over the wire and stomping after the pigs in the mud. Even with seven men in the pen, it was Lee Ann who caught the first one, a piglet. This brought on a chorus of taunts aimed at Mike and his pig-chasing partners. With so many of them in the pen, though, it was just a matter of time, and they quickly had one of the boars trussed up.

It took three of us to pull the screaming porker out under the wire. Danny ran and brought one of the trucks over and we loaded it into the bed. Danny, me, Ted, Jeff, and Thad then managed to get the slippery critter up into the back and shut the gate. By the time we got back, they had another trussed up and we repeated the process. The girls, in the meantime, were steadily catching the piglets.

Once the last one was tied up, the guys came out of the pen. They were covered nearly head to toe with mud and stunk to high heaven.

Ted looked at Mike, waving a hand in front of his face. “You’re manning the turret on the way back for damn sure.”

Once that was done, we took a quick look around, making sure we had everything. I walked out to the creek and knelt down beside the water. It wasn’t the most comfortable place, these cabins, but it was beautiful here. The creek flowing by, the fog in the morning, they were constants in an ever-changing world. I was going to miss this place. We all had become so close since settling down here. But it wasn’t the sort of life we wanted to live for the long run. Like any camping trip, it was always good to go home.

Thad and Danny walked up, and Danny patted me on the back. “I’m gonna miss it,” Danny said.

I looked up and smiled. “Strange as it is, me too.”

“Me too. But, man, I’m looking forward to living in a real house,” Thad said.

“It’s time to move on, but we’ll be back.” I looked at Danny. “We always come back to the creek.”

After a little shuffling of vehicles, we got everyone lined up on the road. It was quite the convoy: three Guard trucks, my truck with the trailer, the two buggies, Jeff on his hog, and the ATVs, manned by Lee Ann and Taylor.

Danny led the way in one of the buggies with Ted right behind him in a Hummer. As we approached Chase’s place, I keyed the mic on my radio. “I’m going to stop in here real quick.” It was weighing on my mind all night, and I decided that the best thing to do—the honest thing—would be to let him know about his son.

The other vehicles stopped in the road as I got out and waved to Chase. “Mornin’, Chase.”

He nodded. “Mornin’.”

I stepped up on his porch. “I figure I owe it to you to give you some news.”

“What’s that?”

“We caught the kids who raided our place the other night. They were camped out over in Alexander Springs. Your boy, Andy, was one of them. The ringleader, as it was.”

Chase rocked in his chair. “Is he dead?”

“No, nothing like that. We took them up and dropped them off on the side of Lake George with all their gear. I just figured you’d want to know.”

Chase rocked for another moment. He was hard to read, but I assumed he was thinking. “Like I said before, he’s grown. If that’s how he’s going to try and get by, he can deal with the consequences.” He paused. “And thanks for letting me know. I appreciate your honesty.” Chase looked out at the line of vehicles. “Where y’all headed?”

“Back home. The National Guard took over the DHS camp, so we don’t have to worry about them trying to ruin our lives anymore.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Say, when we get things settled, I was thinking of having a cookout. Would you wanna come over?”

“That sounds nice. Don’t know how we’d get there, though.”

“We’ll come get you. It’ll be a few days.”

Chase looked up and smiled. “That’d be real nice. I’d really like that.”

“Till then,” I said with a wave as I stepped off the porch.

The trip home was uneventful. I could tell that Mel was getting more and more excited the closer we got.

After we pulled in, I hopped out and said, “Home sweet home!” I stopped Mel and the girls before they went in. “Look, guys, the house is really messed up. Let’s go in and look and then go down to the house next door to Danny and Bobbie. We may want to stay there instead,” I said gently.

Going in, there were a number of gasps. Little Bit was the first person to make a comment. She went into her room and came back out holding a large stuffed bear. “They cut Peanut Butter’s head off.” She had the bear’s head in her other hand. Dropping them to the floor, she asked, “Can we go look at the other house?”

Mel didn’t go very far into the house before she announced, “This is pretty bad.”

“Holy shit, Morg, you must have really pissed them off,” Mike said from the doorway.

“They do seem to have a way with destruction,” I said. “Let’s go check out the other house.”

We went out and loaded into the truck for the short ride down the road.

“I hope that one is okay,” Lee Ann said. “I don’t want to come back here.”

“I hope so too, sweetheart,” I replied, looking at her in the rearview mirror.

We all mounted back up and headed down the road to the abandoned house.

Danny hopped out and opened the gate. As I pulled through, he said, “The gate being shut is a good sign.”

“Let’s hope,” I muttered.

Stopping in front of the house, we all got out. Mel looked around. “This is kind of nice. I like all the trees.”

Danny was already at the front door. “Is it locked?” I called up.

“Yeah, it’s locked,” he said as he jumped off the porch. He knelt down and flipped over a large piece of limestone in what used to be a planter running the length of the porch. After digging around in the dirt for a minute or so, he triumphantly held up a key.

“How’d you know that was there?” I asked.

“Whenever Harry went out of town I’d keep an eye on his place. When he left for the last time, he hauled ass, so I figured he didn’t remember to take it,” he said as he opened the door.

The house smelled musty, but other than that, everything seemed fine. It was completely furnished, except for one bedroom where the bed had been removed. Mel and Bobbie were talking about the furniture in the living room, a sofa and love seat arranged in front of a large stone fireplace. Danny and I were more interested in looking for black mold or water damage. A quick check of all the bathrooms and kitchen showed no such issues.

“Well, what do you think?” I asked Mel when she came into the kitchen.

“I like it. It’s pretty nice. I really like that fireplace.”

“Yeah, it’s going to be really nice on cold nights,” Bobbie said.

The three girls came in. “What do you think, girls? Do you like it here?” I asked.

“I like it. It’s got big bedrooms!” Little Bit shouted.

“I like it too. Can me and Taylor have the bedrooms with the bathroom between them?” Lee Ann asked.

“You like that Jack-and-Jill bathroom?” I asked.

“Hey, I want the bathroom too!” Little Bit shouted.

“Sorry, kiddo, your sisters get those rooms,” Mel said.

“That’s not fair.” Little Bit sulked.

I laughed. “Life ain’t fair, Miss Bit.”

“All right, guys, it’s settled. Welcome home. Now let’s get to work,” I said.

We had everything unloaded by early evening. Once they had stowed their stuff, Thad and Jeff came back over from their house and let us know that everyone was going to hang out around the fire pit in Danny’s backyard.

“Damn, I’m hungry! What the hell are we going to do for dinner tonight?” Jeff asked, as we walked over.

No one had given it any thought. I looked at Thad. “You know if we have any dried meat left?”

“Don’t worry, we got it covered,” Ted said as he motioned for a couple of the Guardsmen to follow him. They returned a few minutes later with several cases of MREs and a stack of large foil trays.

“What are those?” Bobbie asked.

“These are called squad meals. We’ll set them over the fire to heat,” Ted said as he pried one corner of the top off one of the trays.

“Thanks, man, really appreciate it,” I said.

“No worries, you’ve done a lot to help out with everything that’s gone on here lately.”

“We didn’t really do much,” I said.

“Yeah, you did,” Mike said.

“When are you guys going to move out to the river camp?” Danny asked.

Ted spit into the fire before answering. “Soon as Doc clears Sarge. Hard to keep his old ass lying down.”

“What are you guys going to do now? I mean, none of you are the type to just lie around,” I remarked.

“We’re going to run that camp now, and there’s a lot to do there to convert it back to a refugee camp and not a detainment facility,” said one of the Guardsmen.

“Whatever it is, it’s got to be better than that damn camp we were in before,” another said. “And I feel confident that it will be. Livingston may not be great at battle tactics, but this type of restructuring task is right up his alley.”

“As for our guys? We need a break. Well, I know
I
do. A lot has happened, and we haven’t really had the chance for it to soak in,” Mike said.

“I think everyone needs a break,” Thad said. “I can use one too. You’re right about a lot happening.”

Danny was staring into the fire. “I haven’t really thought about it much, I guess, but a lot
has
happened. There really hasn’t been any downtime.”

“I’m just happy to have a bathroom again,” Taylor said, eliciting a chuckle from several people.

One of the Guardsmen spoke up. “That’s one of the best things about that camp—flushing toilets and hot showers. I can’t remember the last time I took a shower.”

A fellow Guardsman eyed the mud-covered soldier. “Damn sure can’t tell by looking at your filthy ass.” He looked over at Mel and Bobbie. “Sorry, ladies, I’ll try to mind my manners.”

Mel laughed. “I think right now your language is the least of our worries.”

“I think this stuff is hot enough,” Thad said as he raised the top from one of the trays and steam rolled out.

Mike slapped his hands together. “Let’s eat!”