Not Dead in the Heart of Dixie (61 page)

I pulled a homemade pecan pie from the freezer. I wanna pack slices in their backpacks so they can eat them as they walk. I think it'll be good to have a meal straight from
Mother Nature for their strong hearts as they head to a battle that may be their last.

The women are having pasta and salad. Carisa and Valerie are toasting bread to cut up into croutons to go on top. I think we deserve that salad. We're also having chocolate pudding made with goat milk.

I'm going out to see what I can do to get everything ready. It'll be dark in about two hours. Good Lord, please give me the strength to watch them walk down that driveway.

11:30 PM...

I have a better understanding for women who watch their men go to war. I know it isn't the same thing, but my heart hurts and
I imagine its close.

Mick and Kevin said goodbye to the kids before walking out the door. It was horrible and I started crying
, watching Marisa, Carisa, Amber and little Michael say goodbye to Mick. Rona was crying watching Luke and Larson say goodbye to Kevin.

The women walked out on the porch to say their
goodbyes.

Every man got hugs and well wishes from every woman and man that stayed
on the compound.

I didn't wanna let go of Mick. He held me in his arms and whispered in my ear. He told me for the ten-thousandth time how much he loves me and how much his family means to him. He promised to do everything within his power to come home safely and bring everyone with him
, including the girls. He held me until we had no choice but to let go. I felt like half of my physical and emotional self was walking down the driveway into the dark. It's the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

We weren't the only two with long, ling
ering goodbyes. Kevin held Rona. Dane held Elaine. Ian held Shawna. Nicholas clung to Isaac like he couldn't bear to let go. He begged him to bring Sabrina back because she's the only family he has left.

They’
re out of sight now. We are all praying. I'm absolutely positive that God is on our side.

I need to get my mind off of this long enough to write, for the record, what Jeremy and Jesse brought home today.

Jesse and Jeremy brought home six more round bales of hay. There are 9 round bales left to get at that particular farm. They looted the house and found several cases of empty canning jars but not one speck of food. I found several jars with chips on the rims which we can’t use, so I'll have to examine every one of them closely. They brought several CD's including artists from my time like Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, America, The Doors, AC/DC, Back Sabbath, CCR, Led Zeppelin, Lynard Skynard, and more.

The house is quiet. Jason and Marisa are on watch and the little kids are sleeping on the couch in Nana and Pop's motorhome.

I'm not a bit sleepy. I'm headed out to the porch to have my last cigarette and talk with Jason and Marisa.

Bye for now.

Saturday, March 29

I thought they'd be back by now. It
's 5:00 AM. I’m worried.

Everyone is up and roaming around the house. Nana is teaching Valeri
e and Rebecca how to make potato cakes from instant potatoes for breakfast. I'm a nervous wreck.

The sun will be up in a few minutes and Jesse and Jeremy have already left. They went to get the remaining hay from the farm they found. I can't remember how many trips they have left I think they took a big rig and the huge flatbed trailer. Maybe th
ey can get it all in one trip.

Jason and Soo plan to load four empty diesel barrels in the bed of the Silverado and go t
o the truck stop to fill them.

Pop said he and Deuce will be working in the garden this morning. There's broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and peas. I've never preserved cabbage or spinach and I'll have to consult my
canning books for directions.

T
here's a good amount of strawberries ready as well. I'm gonna slice and dry them so we can use them in oatmeal or use them for country style strawberry shortcake. I may put together a couple of strawberry pies to put in the freezer if the harvest is large enough.

My mind isn't working. It's focused on Mick and how bad I want him back.

I want all of them back and working on the fence. I am sick and tired of all the death, killing, and fear. I'm sick of horrible HDI's. I'm sick of worrying if we have enough of anything you can name.

Josie and Lisa are on watch. I'm going out to sit with them and watch the road for my man to come
walking home. See ya later.

10:15 AM...

They're back and all of them
are alive including the girls!

They came from the rear of the property about 7:30 this morning. Mick said they took a few twists and turns to throw off their trail to any gang
member they might have missed. They walked on the side of the road and out of sight the entire way there. None of the men know exactly how long it took to get there, but they're guessing it was about two hours because they had to stop and take care of a little business before continuing on.

Approximately a mile from the camp
, they were spotted by several HDI's who were standing in a ditch full of stagnant water beside the road. The HDI's began making their way out of the ditch and onto the pavement.

T
hey didn't shoot because they knew they were very close to the gang camp and were afraid that someone would hear the shots.

Dane bashed the heads of four HDI's and Rick put a large hunting knife through the skulls of a couple more. Isaac lobbed off the head of one HDI with Jeremy's
machete
. Rick pushed an HDI to the ground and bashed in
its head with his rifle stock. They made sure all the HDI's were down for good and continued on their way.

It wasn't long before Isaac recognized the area and pointed out the dark shape of the military truck several yards ahead. They approached the t
ruck as quietly as they could.

Ian
carefully pulled back the flap at the rear and saw a gang member sleeping like a baby inside. They crept up to the cab and looked inside to make sure no one else was there.

Ian softly knocked on the truck fender several times before
the gang member woke up, said “Who is it?” and stuck his head out between the flaps. Rick grabbed him by the head and snapped his neck like a number 2 pencil. They dragged his body out of the truck and searched it for weapons or anything useful before leaving him there to rot. “One down, twelve to go” Isaac whispered.

Rick carefully opened the
driver’s side door and everyone winced as it creaked. They stood motionless for several seconds before proceeding. Rick climbed in the cab and began searching every space he could think of. He found nothing, and climbed back down. They left the truck door open and headed into the woods with Isaac leading the way.

Rick and Ian
pushed the toes of their boots into the ground every few feet until they found a muddy area. They finger painted their faces, necks, and hair with streaks of mud. The remaining men did the same except for Isaac, who needed no mud on his black skin and bald head.

They approached the camp and could hear laughter and talking. They sat back on their heels beside
large tree
trunks inside the tree-line to study the camp and its occupants.

The half-eaten boar was still over the fire pit and the coals were still hot but the fire had burned down. Several men approached the boar at different times. A young girl was slicing meat from the animal with a huge knife and laying the pieces on paper napkins in each man's hand
. She never spoke a word.

The
gypsy girls were nowhere in sight, so the men waited and watched. When the gang members finished eating, the girl walked toward a small tent and picked up several objects from the ground. She headed to the tree-line straight toward Kevin and Dane. She tossed the objects into the trees and turned to walk back to the fire pit. She pulled a small sleeping pad from a pack a few feet away, placed it on the ground beside the fire pit, and laid down on top.

Dane said the objects she tossed almost hit him in the chest. He looked down and saw three long
, white objects laying at his feet. As soon as he touched the first one he knew what they were. They were used condoms, and Dane felt rage begin at the top of his head and travel down the entire length of his body.

He motioned to Mick and the crew that he was going to circle around where the tent was sitting. Ian and Rick nodded
at him and he went on his way.

He made it to the rear of the tent, laid on his belly, and crawled up close. He used his knife to lift the bottom of the fabr
ic just enough to see inside.

One of the girls was laying on a large blanket. There were
lit candles sitting on tops of buckets at each side of the tent. The girl on the blanket was not moving. Dane felt a chill on his body in the muggy heat.

He almost lifted the fabric higher to crawl in and get her when the front flap on the tent opened and a man entered. The man ordered the girl up on her hands and knees and he went behi
nd her and dropped his pants.

When the gang member's knees hit the ground with his back facing the rear of the tent
, Dane quietly slid underneath the fabric, got up on his knees, and slit the creep's throat.

Blood gushed from the wound and landed on the girl's back. The piece of crap
made gurgling sounds as he died and Dane put his hand over the man's mouth until his body stopped moving and he fell limp to the ground.

Dane looked at the girl and put his finger to his lips to motion her to stay quiet. He saw recognition in her eyes and felt confident that she wouldn't utter a sound. He slid back underneath the rear of the tent and dragged the dead man with him. As soon as the man's body cleared the tent, the girl slid out behind it and Dane led her into the woods. He left the
dead man's body there to rot.

“Two down, eleven to go” Dane whispered as he passed Kevin while carryi
ng the young girl in his arms.

He left her on the opposite side of the road in thick brush and told her he would be back but he had to get the remaining girls. She nodded, and he crept back across the road and into the woods.

He took his spot beside Kevin and sat there, waiting and watching. Kevin had already motioned to the other men that Dane had killed another one. Everyone would know there were eleven left.

Mick was on his knees beside a large maple when two gang members came bursting through the trees behind him. He said they came within a foot
of the tree dragging a live HDI behind them. Mick said the close call gave him “major pucker factor.”

The gang members dragged the HDI to the pit, moved the Jeep back several feet, and lifted the corner of the grate. They cut the ropes on the HDI's hands and feet and kicked him into the pit. They put everything back in place and went to get their roasted boar supper from t
he young girl beside the fire.

Mick decide to check another small tent near the edge of the clearing. He belly crawled, crouched
, and took cover behind trees as he made his way around the edge of the clearing and stopped at the rear of the tent to watch and listen. He was just in time to see a gang member leave the tent.

He heard soft crying coming from inside. He carefully lifted the rear of the tent a couple of inches, looked inside
, and crawled underneath. The girl inside was Sabrina and she almost screamed when she saw him. He grabbed her, put his hand over her mouth, and whispered “shhh” in her ear.

It took a few seconds before he saw recognition in her eyes. He led her out the rear of the tent
and carried her to the road.

He couldn't find the exact spot where Dane left the other girl
, so he asked Sabrina to walk along the road, whispering for her. The young lady stood up from behind a large bush and motioned for Sabrina to join her.

Mick left the girls, headed back to the camp, and squatted
beside Rick to watch and wait.

They
believed that the last girl had to be inside the large tent.

While they were waiting, two gang members headed to the woods in Ian's direction. They were laughing and unbuckling their belts as they walked into the trees with a roll of toilet
paper stuck in their armpits.

A few
minutes went by before Mick saw Ian lean out, hold up two fingers, and slide his hand across his neck. Isaac was nearby and leaned in to whisper in Mick's ear “Four down, nine to go.”

Isaac was preparing to sneak around to the rear of the tent when he saw Red
standing beside the doorway.

Red stomped out a cigarette, took a swig from a large bottle of alcohol, and headed inside. A couple of minutes went by before a
female voice screamed in terror. The gang members milling around the camp began laughing and making obscene jokes. “Red likes 'em bloody and scared” one of the gang members said, and the others chuckled and nodded their heads in agreement.