The Blue Ridge Resistance (10 page)

Chapter 16: Rabbit Stew

As Evan, Jason, and Ed arranged the trailer and the tractor into a proper defensive position for the night, as well as surveying the surrounding area for potential threats, Charlie got a fire going while Jimmy built a homemade rotisserie to cook his catch. They had packed a few basic cooking utensils for the trip, as well as salt and pepper, green beans, potatoes, carrots, and venison jerky. The beans were canned in jars and the carrots and potatoes were stored in buckets of sand to keep the air and the pests away. 

Jimmy pulled out the campfire kettle that Evan’s wife, Molly, had packed for them, and while the rabbit cooked over the fire, he prepared a stew base with water, beans, sliced potatoes, and sliced carrots. Once the rabbit was mostly cooked, he removed it from the fire, cut it up into stew pieces, and added it to the kettle, which he had cooking over the fire. 

“Dang, that smells good, Jimmy,” Jason said as he came over to the fire to check out Charlie and Jimmy’s handy work. 

Jimmy smiled and said, “Just because you’re roughing it, doesn’t mean you can’t be civilized. It’ll be ready in a few more minutes, if you guys want to be getting yourselves one of those stainless mugs to eat out of,” pointing at a box of supplies in the back of the trailer.

Ed grabbed each of them a mug and they all gathered around the fire. They simply enjoyed each other’s company for a few moments and chatted about the day’s events before Evan said, “Well, gentlemen, like Jimmy said, there is no reason not to be civilized. If none of you mind, I would like to say grace.”

Everyone unanimously agreed, and they all bowed their heads as Evan said, “Lord, thank you for giving us the abilities to take care of ourselves in this dangerous world we now live in. Thank you for these friends, that we each trust with our lives, and please help us to look after one another during our journey away from home. Also, Lord, thank you for our friends back home that our watching out for our families, and please keep them safe in doing so. We also thank you for this rabbit that has been provided for us; please use the nourishment that it provides to help carry us through our journey to be able to better provide for our friends and family back home. In your name we pray, Amen.”

“Amen,” the others said in unison. 

“Okay, guys, dig in,” Evan said as he raised his mug. 

Jimmy dished out a mug full of rabbit stew for each of the men. They enjoyed their hot meal and their jovial conversation for the next half hour. They shared with each other thoughts of home and their hopes and dreams for their families in this new world. The fathers expressed their concern for the world their children were inheriting, while the potential future fathers, such as Nate and Jimmy, just soaked it all in. 

As the men continued to talk about their families back home, Jimmy said, “Beth and I have been keeping a little secret for a while now. Maybe when we get back home we’ll announce it to the community.”

“What’s the secret?” Jason asked.

“We’re having a baby,” he said with an uncontrollable smile.

“Well, why the heck would you be keeping that from us?” asked Charlie, pleasantly surprised by Jimmy’s news.

“Beth has miscarried before,” he explained. “She said she would rather keep it to ourselves until things looked a little more certain. She doesn’t want to face the pity of the other women if it doesn’t work out. She’s just funny that way. She keeps her feelings wrapped up pretty tight. I think her rough childhood instilled her with that as a defensive mechanism. I think we are far enough along now, though, that it seems like a sure thing. She’s even starting to show a little baby bump.”

“Outstanding, Jimmy,” replied Evan. “With all of the darkness in this world, here is to you and Beth bringing in a little light.” He raised his mug of rabbit stew to give a campfire toast, followed by everyone joining in.

“Heck, if we keep this up, and if Nate ever gets off his butt and proposes to Peggy and they get started, we may end up with enough kids to have our own school,” Jason said in a half serious and half joking manner.

In agreement, Charlie added, “Yeah, and a school that doesn’t ban the Bible and the Constitution. It’s no damn wonder how easy this country was to knock down the way our foundations were being eroded away.”

Everyone agreed, and after a little more banter, Charlie said, “Well, I’m first watch, so I guess I had better get my butt up and get with it before I get lazy with this belly full of hot food.”

Jason replied, “So we’ve got six of us; let’s do three three-hour watches of two guys. One can stay close to camp while the other roves the nearby area. The two watch-standers can take the two radios we have to communicate. Let’s make it Charlie and Jimmy, Ed and Nate, and then Evan and myself.” He turned to Ed and Nate and asked, “Since Charlie and Jimmy are up first, do you want mid or morning shift?”

Ed looked at Nate, and Nate just shrugged in reply. Ed then answered, “Heck, we’ll take the mid shift.”

“Well, guys, hit the sack. Jimmy and I have it from here. It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow and we’ll need our rest,” Charlie said as Jason handed him the radios.

Everyone agreed and found a place to bed down in the trailer, as it was their only form of shelter. After they all got situated, Jason sat up and said, “Ah heck, I’m gonna drag my sleeping back out in the bushes. There’s no need to have us all here in one spot like a gift-wrapped present for hostiles. 

“Oh great, Jason, way to help a guy fall asleep, thinking about getting ambushed,” joked Ed.

“Never drop your guard in this world, Ed,” Jason replied sharply as he carried his sleeping bag out of the trailer.

“Well, hell, that’s my watch partner so I guess I should go too,” replied Evan as he too rolled up his bag and went outside.

Jason found a good, flat place to sleep just barely out of their clearing off into the woods, while Evan took shelter underneath the tractor. “Good luck with the critters over there,” Evan joked to Jason.

“Good luck with the oil drips from that leaky old tractor,” Jason replied with a chuckle.

“Touché, brother, touché.”

As Evan lay under the tractor, he peeked out at the stars and wondered if Molly was looking out of a window back home at the same sky. He missed her dearly, as his love for her was as strong as ever and had been truly strengthened by the struggles they had shared since it all began. 

The next thing he knew, he felt someone shake his shoulder. He flinched out of reflex and reached for his 1911 pistol that he had taken out of its holster and laid next to himself while he slept, when he heard Jason’s voice say, “Relax, man; it’s me. Time to get up and get ready for school, young man.”

Coming to his senses, Evan replied, “Ah, Mom, I don’t wanna go to school today.”

Jason chuckled in reply and said, “Our watch is in ten.”

Evan yawned. “Roger that,” he said as he worked his way out of his sleeping bag and to his feet. The two had never lost their ability to joke with each other, even during trying times. They felt that keeping a sense of humor was one of their most important mental survival tools. If you stay too serious and stressed for too long, depression can set in and cloud your judgment.

Evan and Jason met with Ed and Nate on their way back to the trailer to sleep. Their debrief was short. It had been an uneventful night, with the exception of a few animal sightings and some coyote calls that seemed not too far away.

Jason handed Evan a radio and said, “Rover or base?”

“Let’s split it,” Evan said. “I’ll take the first base watch and then you can swap me halfway through.”

“Roger Roger,” Jason replied. “I’m gonna take a walk down the road a ways, and then duck into the woods to make a sweep of the perimeter. This moonlight tonight should make it easy enough, without having to burn my light.”

“Don’t get lost,” Evan said with a smirk.

~~~~

After about a half hour of nothing but the sounds of nature, Evan got a double click on his radio that caught his attention. He listened intently, holding the radio close to his ear to see if he could hear anything else without turning up the volume and waking others. He then heard Jason’s voice in a whisper say, “Movement on the road.”

Evan immediately stood up and grabbed his rifle. He heard Nate whisper from inside the trailer, “Ev, what’s up?”

Evan walked over to the trailer and whispered back, “I just got a faint call from Jason about movement on the road. Can you cover things here while I go see what’s up?”

“Sure thing,” replied Nate, “I can’t sleep anyway.”

“Thanks,” Evan said as he handed Nate the radio. “I just hope Jason doesn’t shoot me for sneaking up on him in the dark,” he said as he slipped off into the darkness.

As Evan made his way slowly up the road, using only the moonlight to guide him, Jason saw him approach and waved him forward. Once they were joined up, Jason said, “I was watching the main road for a while and then saw some people passing from left to right. I think they may have turned up our little hideaway here. I can’t really make out where they are at the moment, but I know for a fact they didn’t continue down Highway 70. They either stopped or turned in here with us.”

The two stared off into the darkness for a moment, listening intently, when they began to hear voices that seemed to be getting louder, as if they were approaching. “This is gonna get awkward real soon. We can’t let them just walk right into camp.”

“Yep,” replied Jason.

The two men sat there listening to the footsteps of the strangers as the talking had now subsided. Once Jason felt they had gotten close enough, he said aloud, “Good morning.”

A young girl screamed and a man’s voice yelled, “Leave us alone!”

Jason then answered, “We aren’t here for trouble as long as you aren’t.”

“We are just looking for a place to sleep. We’ve been walking all night,” the man said.

“Who are ‘we’?” asked Jason.

“This is my wife and daughter, and I’m Tyrone. Tyrone Gibbs. We’ll just turn around and find somewhere else to sleep. We didn’t mean to bother you.”

Evan spoke up and said, “No need for that, sir. We’re gonna be packin’ up and hittin’ the road soon. We’ve got a good, safe spot and you’re more than welcome to it. There’s no need to keep those ladies out on this cold night any longer. We’ll even get our fire going for you to warm up, if you want.”

The man just stood there a moment and then said, “Why would you do that?”

“Do what?” Evan asked.

“Go out of your way to build us a fire and give us your camp. That seems a little iffy to me,” the man replied.

“Thinking like that is probably what’s kept you all safe,” answered Evan. He went on to say, “Look, if we wanted to hurt you, we could have done that already. We don’t need to fool you with our intentions to do that. There are more of us than you and we are all armed men. The fact is, Jason here and I, as well as the others in our group, have wives and children back home, and we would want them to be able to find a warm place to rest if they were out here. We would want the same for yours, as well.”

The man looked at his exhausted young daughter, who was maybe thirteen years old, and said, “Okay, lead the way.”

Evan and Jason led them back to camp, giving Nate the heads-up over the radio. It was nearing sunrise anyway, so he woke the others before their guests arrived to avoid any awkwardness. When they arrived, Evan introduced the guys, who were now all up and about, to the family and then said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t catch the ladies’ names.”

“Oh, yes,” Tyrone said. “This is my wife, Michelle, and my daughter, Rhonda.”

They all exchanged pleasantries and then Charlie rolled a log near the fire that Jimmy was starting and said, “Here, have a seat and warm up for a few.” 

The exhausted family was more than thankful for the hospitality and all took a seat on the log. Evan asked, “So what brings you out here in the middle of the night?”

Tyrone answered, “Traveling with women and girls isn’t exactly safe right now. Some friends of ours, a married couple who also had a teenage daughter, were attacked in broad daylight.” He paused, cleared his throat, and continued. “A group of men took his wife and daughter; he tried to fight them off, but they killed him right in front of everyone. I should have helped.” Tears welled up in his eyes and his wife squeezed his hand. “I should have helped, but I was scared for my wife and daughter, so I just took them by the hand and we ran with every ounce of energy we had for as long as we could. We only travel at night now. We’ve been basically hiding from the world ever since. I just can’t let anything like that happen to them,” the man said with strength and resolve. 

In a concerned voice Evan then asked, “Where and when did that happen?

“Last week,” Tyrone responded. “I forget what day, exactly. We’ve sort of lost track of time, just focusing on life from moment to moment, just worrying about what’s around the next corner, and not tomorrow.”

Everyone could see the pain and fatigue in the man’s eyes. Jason looked at Evan; they shared a nod, and then Jason said, “We’ll heat you up some food so that you can go to sleep on a full stomach for once. Then, you all three get some sleep. Even you, sir. We’ll keep watch while you’re catching up on some must-needed rest. You’re no good to your family if you’re not healthy. When you all wake up, we will pack up and be on our way.”