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  Jack had a terrible thought, “This is a diversion. They are going to hit us somewhere else. Guards, do you see anything suspicious along the wall?”

  “Tower 1, nothing to see here.”

  “Tower 2, we haven’t seen anything.

  “Tower 3, same here we… wait there’s some movement in the bushes across no man’s land.”

  “What do you see?”

  There were several loud metallic noises, and the guard at Tower 3 yelled, “Damn, they're shooting at me. Come quickly. They are running across the field.”

  “Shoot to kill the ones in front. All towers kill anyone in the no man’s land. We’re on our way.”

  Jack and Tony brought six men with them, and Greg had seven men and women. They drove up, as the attackers were climbing over the wall using ladders. A dozen was on the ground and running toward the homes south of the wall. The people were coming over the wall faster than they could shoot them, so Tony pulled out his ace in the hole.

  “Dad, grab the Molotov cocktails from the back of the truck and start pitching them across the wall. Fry the bastards.”

  Izzy joined in the effort as the rest of the team kept shooting the people already across the wall. The fire bombs were more effective than Tony dared to hope and soon around sixty of the attackers were on fire and the entire area on the north side of the wall for the full length was on fire. The invaders were stopped in their tracks.

  “What the heck just happened?”

  “Dad that was my firewall.”

  It took another hour to mop up the men who climbed over the wall before they could take a break.

  “Son, I get the fire bombs, but why did the ground on the other side of the wall catch on fire and burn so vigorously?”

  “When I went back to the gate after I left you; I thought that it would be a bad time for someone to make another attack. I took a tractor with a 500-gallon tank of diesel fuel mixed with oil and gas and then sprayed as far as the crop sprayer would shoot the fuel. I sprayed the entire thousand yards along the fence.”

  “Damn it worked, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get the smell of burning human flesh out of my nose again. Perhaps we could use the sprayers to make a flame thrower,” Jack replied.

  “Dad, I know I should feel bad, but the “Walking Democrats” are learning about Darwin’s theory of natural selection first hand.”

  “Son, I hate that all these people are dying off, but most were living off the government tit and didn’t have any practical skills. Remember I’m a Democrat or was before the shit hit the fan so keep that shit to yourself.”

  ✼

  Chapter 3

  Day 9 – Mama Bear

  Jo remembered that the city of Hartsville would be difficult to go through, so she took the same route that Harold’s team used to evade the barricades on their way home from scavenging. She avoided the barricade closest to the bridge by cutting through a field and a stand of trees by the river on the west side of the bridge. It was before daylight, and she drove very slow as she pulled onto the road. The two Deputies manning the barricade never heard her drive away.

  Jo knew she had to avoid all of the larger cities, so she worked her way southeast around Lebanon on the backroads. Her plan was to get around Lebanon to Highway 840, take it safely around Nashville, and then work her way south toward Florence, Alabama.

  The entire drive to Florence would usually take about three hours but by taking the back roads, avoiding people along the way, and dodging stalled cars the trip would take as much as ten times as long. Jo was only nine miles below Hartsville when she began wondering if the journey was even possible. Even the back roads had people flooding into the countryside scrounging for food and water. Most got out of the way as she drove towards them; however, the more desperate ones tried to stop her, and when she didn’t stop, several took pot shots at her.

  One group tried to use its bodies as a human roadblock. Jo slowed and waved her AR at them, but they wouldn’t move out of the road. One man who appeared to be their leader yelled, “Give us your truck, weapons, and food, and we will let you live.”

  Jo yelled back, “I only have enough food for myself, and I am searching for my son and father. Please let me head on south.”

  “Hell no. We are starving, and the damn government hasn’t shown up to help us.”

  “Please don’t make me shoot you. I’m a police officer and will shot if you try to approach.”

  The man waved his pistol for the crowd to follow him to Jo. Jo took aim and shot him in the head. He fell a few feet from the others and most took off running. A woman ran to him, dropped to her knees, and placed his bloody head in her lap. She looked up and yelled at the remaining crowd to charge Jo. About eight began running at Jo with axes and a few guns. One man shot and hit the truck on the side. Jo jumped out, dropped to one knee, and started picking them off one by one until all eight were down. She reloaded her AR, got back in the truck, and headed on through the bodies at full speed. The bumps and crunching noise almost made her sick. There were a couple of shots fired at her, but they were wild and didn’t get close to the vehicle. She drove on passing a handful of people every mile or two. Most tried to flag her down, but she ignored them and kept moving.

  She was three hours into her excursion and was only 15 miles from the bottom of the horseshoe. She headed due west below Lebanon to connect with Highway 840 and saw a crowd up ahead marching down Highway 40 towards her. She got off at the next exit and headed a short ways south then worked her way east just below Highway 40 until she saw the junction for Highway 840. She put the old Ford into four-wheel drive and ran down the side of 840 until she saw a place without a guardrail and drove through the fence and up to the Highway.

  Jo knew Bob would shit a brick when he saw the ruined paint on the truck; however, she had to do whatever it took to get her family back home safe. Then it hit her that was what most of the people she ran across were trying to do.

  The next leg of the trip took Max and her down Highway 840 between Smyrna and Murfreesboro. Thousands of workers were on their way to work at the dozens of warehouses, computer manufacturers, and other businesses when the lights went out. The road was a parking lot of cars, trucks, and semi-trucks, but she kept the truck moving and only had to fire a couple of warning shots to stop people from stopping her. The stalled vehicles tapered off when she got a few miles past the Highway 24 overpass as she headed towards Highway 65 South. She picked up speed and was soon on Highway 65 heading toward the cut off to Springfield where she would catch Highway 43 South and head down to Florence.

  Jo continued to dodge stalled vehicles and people wanting her truck or her food for the rest of the day. The going was slow, and she pulled off the road into the woods off Highway 43 about ten miles south of Lawrenceburg. She waited until there were no people in sight and pulled off the highway and down to a creek about a hundred yards off the road. She could see the bridge over the stream but was confident that no one passing by could see her or the truck from the road.

  She placed her sleeping bag in the bed of the truck and quickly fell asleep with Max at her side as the clouds moved out of the area and the stars were revealed. She woke to a strange sound, peered above the bed of the old Ford, and saw a light under the bridge. Jo tied her shoestrings, found her AR, and quietly slid off the tailgate of the truck with Max leading the way.

  She carefully walked through the woods making sure to keep bushes between her and the campfire. She was about fifty yards away when she heard a child crying and some other unidentifiable noises. She kept low to the ground and crawled within 50 feet of the fire when she heard.

  “Shut that brat up, or I’ll shut the little bitch up. I can’t concentrate with the racket. Shut her up and come back in the tent.”

  Jo saw a person get out of a tent and walk to a smaller tent on the other side of the fire. The figure was dark until it stood by the smaller tent to open the flap. It was a naked woman standing in the light of the fire. Jo
crawled closer and heard the woman trying to get several children to stop crying.

  “Please stop crying. You know how mad he gets when you cry. Please stop for me.”

  The kids settled down, and the woman left them to go back to the man in the other tent. She ducked into the tent and said, “They will be quiet now.”

  “Good, get your ass on the mattress and make love to me.”

  “Do what you have to do, but this isn't loving. I’ll do whatever you want just don’t hurt my kids.”

  “I want you to love me.”

  “How can I love a man who killed my husband and rapes me every day?”

  “Easy, if you don’t I’ll shoot the boy. The girls will come in handy if I have to kill you.”

  Jo was now standing outside the tent and heard all of the conversation. She told Max to stay, lifted the tent flap, and saw the man on top of the young woman and her blood boiled. She placed her rifle against the tent, drew her hunting knife, and slowly stepped into the tent. The man was too busy to hear Jo sneak up behind him and straddle him. She brought the knife to his throat as she grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head backward.

  Jo said, “You won’t rape any more women you son of a bitch. Go to hell bastard,” as she pulled him off the woman by his hair. She kicked him and then asked, “Are you okay?”

  The woman was crying as she shook from fear. She replied, “Please don’t kill my children. I’ll do whatever you want.”

  Jo turned her flashlight on and said, “I don’t want to hurt you. I just didn’t want that man ever hurting another woman. He’s dead now.”

  “Are my kids okay?”

  “Yes, they are where you left them. Do you have a place to go?”

  “No. Our family was on vacation and driving back to Louisville from Mobile when the car stalled. We started walking home when this man attacked us. He killed my husband and forced the kids and me to go with him. I guess you heard enough to know what he wanted from me. I was just trying to keep him from hurting my kids.”

  “Don’t worry. You did what any mother would do to protect her children. My name is Jo Karr, and I have to pull out in the morning. I’m trying to find my mother and my son. Do you have any food?”

  “My name is Ann Fry, and my kids are Jeff, Brenda, and Bea. We don’t have much food. Al would chain me to a tree and go out foraging every day but brought back less and less each day.”

  “If I give you some food, do you think you can stay hidden here until I come back through in a few days? I’ll take you and the children to my home on the other side of Nashville. We have plenty of food, and you will be safe there.”

  “Yes, I’d like that. How long will you be gone?”

  “It should only take three to five days. If I’m not back on the fifth day, go find a place to live. I’ll set several rabbit traps so you can stretch out the MREs I’m leaving with you. Can you skin and dress a rabbit?”

  “I never have, but I will do anything to feed my kids.”

  Jo gave her a quick education on catching and skinning rabbits along with quick survival training. Jo also taught her how to handle the pistols. The man had two loaded handguns and a backpack full of survival gear, so the woman was better prepared than most these days.

  At first light, Jo and Ann buried the body under the bridge with rocks and as much dirt as they could pile over the man. Jo showed the woman how to run the traps and found they had already caught two good size rabbits. The woman skinned and dressed the rabbits with a bit of clumsiness but got better handling the second one. Max watched intently and then went to get his own rabbit.

  “Ann, move the tents over to where my truck is parked and don’t have a fire at night. A small fire will be okay during the day if you keep it under that tree over there. The leaves will disperse the smoke.”

  They hugged, and Jo drove back north about a mile before entering the highway to make sure no one came looking for Ann and the kids.

  ✼

  Chapter 4

  Day 9 - Escape

  Will woke up early the next morning with his shoulder throbbing and a mild headache. He was spooned up against Maddie with his arm around her waist and her head on his other arm. Maddie was sleeping a deep and contented sleep of a person with no worries. Will kissed her neck and gazed at her beautiful face in the soft glow of the dim lights hanging from the ceiling in the tent.

  Will reflected back on the previous week with a mixture of pain, joy, and sorrow. Meeting Maddie was the best thing that had ever happened to him, but the whole world was falling apart all around him.

  He looked across the aisle and saw his Grandparents peacefully sleeping in their bunk, and that reminded him that his family’s world was not falling apart thanks to those two and his parents. He thought about what each one of them had done to keep the family safe along with the community in the Horseshoe. No, their world wasn’t falling apart. It was just being built from scratch, and it would be a better place to live a few years from now.

  Will stroked Maddie’s dark brown hair and kissed her neck several times until he woke her up. She rolled over, wrapped both arms around him, and gave him a long kiss.

  She whispered, “Will, we have to stop meeting like this or things might happen.”

  “I’m kinda hoping that things will happen again like last night. Maddie, I love you and want to live the rest of my life with you.”

  “Will, that was fantastic. I just realized how much I care for you when I thought I could lose you to that woman yesterday. Give me some time. I don’t trust men thanks to my rotten father, and it’s hard for me to get close to men.”

  “I’m not just any man. I’m your boyfriend, and you can trust me.”

  “I hope after last night we are more than girlfriend boyfriend,” she teased Will.

  “Maddie I love you and want you to stay with me forever.”

  “I’m trying. My Dad screwed every woman he met and left my Mom for a bitch half his age. Oh, he sent money and presents, but I have only seen him twice in the past two years.”

  “Maddie, that wasn’t me.”

  “I know. Hold me and kiss me.”

  That was when Will knew that the Senator was Maddie’s father.

  They fell back asleep only to be jolted from their bunks by the sound of the bugles on the loud speakers.

  Jane dressed, walked over to Will and Maddie, and asked, “How’s my boy doing this morning? You two were restless last night. I hope your bump on the head didn’t keep you up.”

  “Considering my shoulder and head still hurt, I’m doing okay. I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing back at the Horseshoe.”

  Bob replied, “They are worried for our safety and trying to get a team to come looking for us. We need to get back home quickly, or we could have two groups held hostage or lost.”

  Jane added, “I’d search forever to find one of you. I just hope the team doesn’t get captured by the DHS.”

  “Let’s go get breakfast and wait on the Sergeant to contact us.”

  Sergeant Hines and two soldiers walked up to their area before they had a chance to head to the mess hall and said, “I need you four to come with me. Don’t give us any trouble.”

  Bob looked at the others with a frown on his face but waved them to fall in behind him as they were escorted to the Major’s dining area.

  “Sir, Sergeant Hines and the four detainees reporting as ordered.”

  Dismissed,” the Sergeant said to the two men, who promptly left.

  The Major saluted and said, “Please join Sergeant Hines and me for breakfast. Sergeant, is the area secure?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’m Major Ben Payne, and I’ve been called up from the Kentucky National Guard for this disaster. I don’t know what you have heard, but the short story is that the entire world is in the same boat. The fact is that we don’t know what happened; we do know that the grid, electronics, and most vehicles are dead. The militaries of a few countries have a few hardened vehicles th
at are still in operation, but they are few and far between.

  The USA is disintegrating as we speak. Our government does not have the willpower or resources to help its people. The military has suffered mass desertions as men and women struggle to get back to their families. Criminals, gangs, and well-meaning groups are forming their own little countries to enable them to survive. I plan to do the same.”

  “Why are you telling us this? What do you want from us?”

  “My family’s homestead is located about halfway between Hartsville and Lafayette Tennessee. Yep in your neighborhood. A childhood friend of mine is Jim Dickerson who owns most of the land across from Hartsville on the south side of the river. Now everyone, please eat while we talk.”

  A light came on in Bob’s mind, and he said, “I met Jim Dickerson the day the shit hit the fan. We saved a few people from a plane crash.”

  “Well Jim has kept me informed on what is happening around my place, and he says that you and your group are some of the good guys. I want to firm up a relationship that will mutually benefit our three groups and result in a safe area to live in for our families. There are some sick people out there. We have an asshole Senator that has taken over Lebanon, and he will be a force to reckoned with.”

  Bob replied, “I’d like to hear more, but first, why do you want to leave this camp. It appears to have everything you need.”

  “Bob, if you don’t join us, I will have the Sergeant drop you off near your home, so there is no downside to you or your family. I can’t let you back in the general population here at the camp after this discussion. The information could cause chaos.”

  Bob looked the Major in the eye and replied, “I’m good with that. I hope the beds are wider.”