Kiamichi Refuge (15 page)

“I might go check on my family. Would you like to go?”

“I would love to. In fact, I’d like to go through the caves and see how close the other entrance is to their house. We should show them where it comes out so they can use it to come here if there’s bad weather or they need a hide-out.”

“I suspect it comes out very close to the property line, but we can find out for sure. I can’t believe you’ve known about the caves for so long and haven’t taken the time to explore them.”

“I’ve been through to the end of the east cave. To be honest, Tanner, I was a little afraid that I might get lost or hurt checking them out by myself, and nobody would know where to look for me. I’m a bit of a chicken that way. I knew that the one on the east side must be safe, because Uncle Ernie said he had been that way, and he didn’t mention any hazards. I only went as far as the opening, but I didn’t venture outside alone. Taking unnecessary chances is a losing proposition these days.”

“You’re one of the bravest, calmest women I know. You have a valid point. Checking them out alone would have been foolish. We should tell whoever is on guard duty where we’re going, just so they’ll know.”

Micah came downstairs just then, and wanted to know what they were planning.

“Can I go too? Please?” he begged.

Tanner looked at Erin, who smiled and shrugged.

“Sure, you can go. You’ll get to meet my nephews. They’re nine and ten, a little younger than you. We’ll take Blitz, too. Do you have a jacket? It’s cool in the caves.”

Micah darted upstairs, then came running back, skidding to a stop in front of Tanner, and shrugging into a gray hoodie. They each grabbed a flashlight, and Erin led the way, at least when Blitz wasn’t running ahead of them.

The portion of the cave beyond the cavern was new territory for Tanner and Micah. In some places, the walls were close, and in others, Tanner had to duck to keep from hitting his head. It was evident that Ernie had not had all of this section enlarged. The floor was rough and uneven, but not too bad.

Coming around a sharp bend, they could hear the sound of water flowing over rocks. As they continued forward, Erin stood back to watch as Tanner and Micah saw the little cavern for the first time. Tanner knelt and put his hand into the crystal clear water.

“It’s warm,” he noted in surprise, then brought a handful up to his mouth and tasted it. “And sweet, too! This is fantastic. Ernie picked the perfect piece of property when he bought this place. See, the pool must have an outlet somewhere, because even with water coming in, the pool doesn’t overflow.”

Micah looked puzzled. “And that’s good?”

“Yes, it’s very good. It means that the pool probably won’t ever flood the caves, and the water isn’t stagnant, so we can use it. If we bathe in it, the pool will naturally cleanse itself. We can drink the water from the seep, too. We probably should filter it just to be safe, but if we ever do have to live in the caves, we’ll have a water source without having to go outside.”

They passed through to the other side of the cavern, and again, the cave narrowed somewhat, to the point that the adults had to turn sideways to get through. It was impossible to estimate how far they had come, since the cave had many turns, but they eventually reached the opening to the outside.

A slender shaft of dappled sunlight illuminated the cave’s door to the outside world. Tanner extended an arm to stop Micah from running out, cautioning him and Erin to be quiet. He silently moved forward, staying in the shadows as much as possible. He listened for several minutes, peering around, then finally slipped out, checking the area. There was no sound other than that of birds twittering and the light breeze fluttering the leaves.

Tanner beckoned, and the others joined him, blinking in the light. The storm had passed to the north, and the ground was dry. Most of the sky was bright blue, and it was a beautiful day.

“Look at how the angle of that rock conceals the entrance from that side, and that thick clump of trees does the same on the other.” Erin stepped a few yards away, and looked back. “It makes the opening really hard to see unless you know it’s there. If we had tried to find this from the outside, I doubt that we could have done it. So, Tanner, where do you think we are in relation to your grandparents’ house?”

Tanner rubbed his chin, looking around. “I played in these woods for years with my sisters and cousins, and never knew that this cave was here. The house is down there,” he said, gesturing to the northeast. “It’s very close, just fifty or sixty yards.”

***

They made their way down the slope, with Tanner giving Micah a lesson on how to move quietly through the woods. As they approached the house, Talako and Julia stepped out on the porch to greet them.

“How did you know we were coming?” Micah wanted to know.

“We have three of Tanner’s dogs in the house. They went on alert, so we did, too.” Talako ruffled the boy’s hair. “How are you, Micah? Come in the house, and meet our grandchildren.”

After introductions were made, Zeke immediately invited Micah to join a game the children were playing in another room. Blitz eagerly tagged along, leaving the adults to visit. Julia served tea, and they chatted about the weather and their gardens for a few minutes, Then Tanner turned to his grandfather.

“Did you know about the cave up the slope about fifty yards or so?”

Talako laughed. “Of course. It’s not on my property, but I knew of it. Ernie showed the caves to me, and I helped him design and build the pantry and its hidden doorway. That pantry is not original to the house. We did a good job adding it on without it
looking
like it was added on, didn’t we?”

Tanner gave him an exasperated look. “And you never mentioned it?”

“Ernie swore me to secrecy. It was not my secret to reveal. I knew that he thought Erin was curious enough to look, and smart enough to figure it out. In case she didn’t, I would have told her soon.”

Erin touched the old man’s arm. “Talako, Julia, if things get worse and you need to leave this house, you are all welcome to use the cave to come to us at the lodge. It’ll be crowded, but we will make it work.”

“Thank you, Erin. We’ll keep that in mind, and we appreciate it, especially since we have children here. We don’t plan on taking any chances with their safety,” Julia assured her.

Then Tanner and Erin told them about the trouble in town, describing their narrow escape, and how Micah used the secret tunnel to save them. They told about Richie coming out with all the medicines and supplies from his store, and about retrieving all the preps that Ernie had left in his house.

Julia frowned thoughtfully. “There is evil in the world, and I do not believe that our God wants us to sit back and not defend our families. Killing in self-defense or in the defense of others is not murder. Those who commit acts of evil must be stopped.”

Tanner nodded in agreement. “I hope sometimes that they will move on, but if they don’t, we’ll have to deal with them. There are innocent people in town, who are struggling to survive even without the menace the convicts bring. There will be a day of reckoning, and I plan to be there.”

“But if they move on,” Talako interjected, “they will just hurt people in some other town. We know what kind of men they are. It would be wrong to allow them to continue to rape, steal, and kill, moving from town to town, maybe growing in number as other evil men or women join them. We don’t have an efficient way to warn the other towns, because we don’t know where they might go next and we have no phones now to call a warning.”

The old man shook his head. “No, we should deal with them here, if possible. If it turns out that they have already left our town, we should get Mac to warn any ham operators in the area.”

“I left a hand-held radio with the preacher,” Erin remembered. “We can communicate with him, if we go up near the top of the mountain. Many of the women and elderly are already staying at the church building.”

“Good thinking, Erin. If you have to go into town to help them, I’ll go with you, and so will John and Will, I’m sure.” Talako offered.

Erin expected Julia to protest, but the old woman just smiled serenely. “He is an old man, but he is also a formidable warrior. If our friends need help, I would expect no less of him.”

Late July

As soon as they got back to the lodge, Erin made sure that all the hand-held radios from the cache were charged. She used solar chargers and placed them on the deck, so they would get full sun for the rest of the day. There were enough for everyone, and she made it clear that everyone was to keep one clipped to a belt or pocket, or beside the bed, at all times.

Tanner took one that had a full charge and tried to contact Ken. He went outside and began climbing the mountain, trying to find a spot where he could get through. After several attempts, he found a place where he had adequate reception.

“Had any more trouble there?” Tanner inquired.

“Not much at our location, but a young woman was gang-raped yesterday on the other side of the park. They killed her, Tanner. We found her body less than an hour ago. And they beat up an old couple who lived behind the grocery store. The woman is with us now, but the man didn’t make it. He died on the way here. We’ve been trying to gather in as many people as we can, but finding that girl, and those old folks, has really brought home to me that we are in over our heads.”

Those punks are getting more brazen every day, like they think they own the whole town, and we don’t have enough weapons to defend ourselves if they come here.”

“You’re armed?”

“I am, and so are a few of the men who are still here. Most of the population has left already, but there are four able-bodied men here with us. They brought their families here for safety.”

Some folks have been critical of me for allowing guns in the church building and for carrying one myself, but I can’t stand by and let them hurt people. I don’t believe the Lord wants me to, either. I think he knows the difference between defense of the innocent and just killing someone. I can’t let those convicts hurt my family or my friends. The Lord is my judge, and I will face Him someday, able to hold my head up and say that I stood for the weak.”

He knows my heart, and He knows the hearts of those thugs. I will not kill except to protect others, but I will do what is necessary if they come here.”

“I understand, Ken. We’ve been talking about this. Keep gathering all the townspeople that will come, and tell those who won’t to stay inside their homes. I’ll get back to you, but I believe that help is on the way. I won’t say more than that on an open radio frequency, but I’ll be in touch.”

***

Tanner went in search of Erin, finding her on the deck, checking her plants. “We need to open the long canisters in the cavern. It looks like there’s a war about to start in town, and if I’m not mistaken, there are rifles in those canisters.”

Erin arched an eyebrow. “I believe you are right about the canisters. At least, that’s what the labels on them say. Let’s go open them up. Grab one of the guys, and we’ll unload what you think we will need. I don’t know why I haven’t opened them before, except that there was no urgent need, and in the canisters, they stay clean and dry.”

On the way to the pantry, they ran across Shane, and Tanner asked if he was busy,

“Nope, not at the moment. You need me?” Shane offered.

“Come on, we have a little chore to do that you might find interesting. Let me grab a couple of screwdrivers. I’ll meet you in the pantry.”

Erin led Shane through to the cavern, where Tanner joined them a few minutes later. Each canister had six screws holding the lid down tight, so Tanner and Shane got to work opening them. Tanner got his open first, and pulled out a Remington 700 BDL 270. There were three more just like it in the giant canister, wrapped in padding to keep them from banging against each other. Shane’s canister contained the same thing, and there were more canisters to open.

“There are some smaller canisters over here. They are full of Glock 21s, and there is ammo, enough to fight a small war. Those containers over there have the scopes for the rifles. They’ll have to be mounted and sighted in. Uncle Ernie had the money to buy what he thought we would need, and he didn’t skimp. I think the scopes are top-of-the-line Leupolds.” Erin looked around and found what she was looking for. “And these two canisters have Glock 9mm for those who can’t handle a .45, so Valerie and Frances might need those.”

“Valerie and Frances
will
need them, but not for the fight in town that’s coming. They will be staying here at the lodge.” Tanner held up one of the rifles. “These guns look brand new. They’ve been cleaned and packed away carefully, so they didn’t collect dust or moisture. They’ll be ready to go as soon as we can get the scopes on them. We’ll go to the spot where we’ve been teaching Valerie to shoot, and get them sighted in. Tomorrow morning, I want to have a meeting with all of our bunch, plus my grandfather, Will and John, the Fosters, Mac, and maybe Jimmy Gibbs. We are going to protect our friends in town, and that gang of convicts is going to find out that they do
not
own Kanichi Springs.”

***

Tanner used his radio to contact their neighbors and his grandfather. All of them agreed to meet at the lodge early the next morning.

As dawn painted the sky bright orange, peach, and dark blue, the neighbors began to arrive. Nolan’s older son, Paul, came with his dad. Jimmy brought his twenty-year-old twins, Hunter and Heather.

Charlie and Gus carried in chairs from the patio and the dining room, but even then, most of the group had to sit on the floor or the hearth. BJ, Frances, and Valerie volunteered to stand watch so the others could attend the meeting.

Tanner began by describing what they had witnessed in town, then told them what he had heard from Ken.

“These men are convicted criminals who have shown that they have no intention of trying to live like civilized people. They have looted and destroyed property, and now, they have raped and killed. They are animals, and it is up to us to stop them.”

Jimmy Gibbs asked, “So what do you plan to do, and when?”

“Kill them, as soon as we can,” Gus interjected.

Voices erupted throughout the room, expressing either agreement or concerns. Tanner gave Ian a look and a nod, which resulted in Ian giving a loud, shrill whistle. The silence was instantaneous. “Calm down, folks! When everyone talks, nobody is heard. Let’s discuss this calmly,” Ian urged.

Charlie spoke up before anyone else could say anything. “Most folks think I’m just an old hippie pothead, but I have some thoughts on this. First of all, let’s say we managed to take some of them scumbags alive, which is unlikely, because they’re gonna fight back hard. What can we do with ‘em?”

Give ‘em a talkin’ to and let ‘em go? Take ‘em outta town and dump ‘em? If we do that, they’ll either come back here lookin’ for revenge, or go hurt folks in some other town. So do we put ‘em in jail? Nobody has laid eyes on the town’s cops in several weeks. The jail here only has two cells, and who would guard ‘em? And we sure don’t want to have to feed ‘em forever. Food is in short supply as it is. They sure cain’t go back to the prison, because there’s nobody there to watch ‘em, either. No other town is gonna take ‘em off our hands, and we’ll get no help from that idiot Deputy Kline. Ain’t nobody seen him around lately, anyway.”

I say if we catch any alive, we have a trial, and if they’re found guilty, we execute ‘em. It’s the only way that makes any sense.”

Gus grinned. “Charlie, that’s the longest speech I ever heard from you in the sixty years I’ve known you.”

Tanner looked around at his friends and neighbors. Charlie’s little speech had them thinking, and the room was quiet.

Finally, Tanner broke the silence. “Does anyone have a viable alternative? Speak up now if you do.”

Vince was leaning against the railing of the spiral staircase, but straightened and stepped forward. “I worked Cell Block A at the prison. There was no inmate on that cell block who had not committed a violent crime. Rape, assault, murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, and some of them could check ‘all of the above’ for those crimes. Those cells were filled with the worst of the worst, and I am ashamed to admit that most of the ones who escaped were from my cell block. It doesn’t matter that they escaped while we were shorthanded. I bear the responsibility because the guards I trained did not stand firm. If those inmates are now terrorizing your town, I say it’s time to put a permanent stop to it.”

Nolan stood up, a determined look on his face. “This state has the death penalty for those a jury says are guilty of premeditated murder. Since the prisons can’t take robbers, rapists, and looters anymore, those crimes might need to be punishable by death, too. Those convicts have committed all sorts of serious crimes. Like in the days of the Wild West, when stealing a man’s horse would get you hung from the nearest tree because it endangered the man’s life to be without a horse, stealing food and supplies endangers lives today.”

Government courts are not able to do the job right now, so that means that we citizens have to do it ourselves. I say Charlie’s right; we need to fight these men, because they have killed and raped in our town. If any survive, we have a trial, and like Charlie said, we execute those found guilty.”

Tanner quickly jumped in. “All in favor, raise your right hand.”

Several hands shot up immediately. Others were raised more slowly, but every hand went up.

“Okay,” Tanner asserted. “Now we need a plan. There’s work to do. Who knows how to mount a scope on a rifle? Who has military experience?”

“Charlie, Mac, John, Gus, Nolan, and I are veterans, but Nolan has the most experience with planning an operation like this. Vince knows those punks, so he should have input, too,” Talako answered. “How about the seven of us go sit on the porch and see what we can come up with?”

“Great. Ian, Shane, Will, Erin, and I will work on those scopes. Sarah, could you find some markers and paper? Get someone to help you, and draw us some targets? We’ll need a lot, since we need to sight these rifles in.”

“I can help with scopes, too,” Jen offered. “I’ve been hunting since I was nine, and Dad taught me to do whatever needed doing. He could help, too, if someone would relieve him. He’s on guard duty.”

“Richie!” Tanner called. “Can you handle a gun?”

“Yes. I’m not so good with a handgun, but I can shoot a squirrel in the head at a hundred yards with a rifle. Will that be good enough?”

“Yep, that’ll do it. Please relieve BJ so he can help mount scopes. He’s probably ready to sit down for a while, anyway. Jimmy, Hunter, Heather – help out wherever you can.”

The lodge grew quiet as they all settled in to work on their assigned tasks. Even Micah joined in, helping Sarah, Valerie, and Frances draw circles on sheets of paper. That job went quickly, so after making several targets each, Valerie and Frances went to the kitchen to make soup for lunch. They used meat from Tanner’s buck and veggies from Erin’s container garden on the deck, and soon the aroma filled the lodge.

By the time everyone else had finished a bowl of soup, most of the rifles had scopes, so Tanner’s group took a quick break to eat. Sarah had a stack of about 60 targets ready to go. The men who were discussing a plan for the coming battle were still working on strategy, so several of those who could shoot hiked to the valley where Tanner and Ian had been teaching Valerie. It took a while, but they got enough of the rifles sighted in for everyone in the group, then carried them carefully back to the lodge.

Talako and the other military men were waiting for them when they got back. The veterans had come up with a scheme to take back the town. They had chosen Nolan to be in command, since he had extensive experience and was also the most physically fit.

“Because of their inexperience with weapons, we have decided that Valerie and Frances will stay at the lodge. Angie will also be here, and those three will prepare to receive wounded. BJ, Richie, and Mac will stay behind to provide security for the lodge. We could sure use Mac in town, but he’s got a wife who is almost eight months pregnant, so he stays here. Micah, you’ll also stay here to help out, as will Paul.” Nolan glanced at his eldest. “Sorry, son, but we need you here. You can help your mother set up in case we have casualties.”

Now we all know that no plan survives contact with the enemy, but here’s one that has a real good chance of working. From what we can tell, that gang has looted just about all of the stores in town, so we figure they’ll start scavenging in homes next. Since there are three small neighborhoods where just about everyone in town lives, we will split into three squads to cover those neighborhoods. Each squad’s position will allow them to see not only their own area, but also to have good visuals on at least one other squad’s area.”

Squad leaders will be Gus, Talako, and John. Charlie was a sniper in Vietnam, so he is going to be up in the steeple of the church. That’s the highest spot in town, with a decent view of almost everything. Plus, he can help protect the people who have taken refuge there.  The squad assigned to that part of town will also be larger than the other squads, because they not only have to watch that neighborhood, they have to guard the church. As far as we know, only a few of the men inside the church are armed, so keeping those people safe is a priority. Hopefully, the gang will come into town from the west, the end furthest from the church, and we can stop them before they get near the east end of town, but we can’t take that for granted.”