The Last Layover (17 page)

“Unfortunately, they didn't arrive to help the states secure the border, rather it is more what appears to be a takeover of those state governments. Though not directly, but indirectly, by arresting officials and even one governor for sedition and treasonous activities. Whether the charges are true, or not, is irrelevant as due process seems to have been thrown out the window as well. A few of the governors in states like Tennessee, Georgia, and Texas have called up their national guards to defend the state capitols. They are refusing to let any federal agencies intervene, or even be on the capitol grounds, after what has already happened in the other states. There is a total and utter breakdown of trust throughout all levels of the government.

“The only ones who act like they have total confidence in what is going on is the president's administration that continues, over and over again, to blame so-called homegrown insurgencies related to tea party groups. Many of the constitutional conservative organization leaders and various tea party group leaders have subsequently been arrested or are in hiding, fearing the same. What's even worse is that there are some reports of collusion between certain elements of the government and criminal elements.”

“What do you mean?” asked Evan.

“Well, you know how the government had been on a campaign to track individuals and groups that stockpiled supplies, food, ammo, etc., and listed them as potential threats?”

“Yeah, that's why a lot of people refused to use credit cards and mail order for supplies,” replied Jason.

“Right, well, from what I've heard through our state police here in Ohio, there have been elements of the government that may have unofficially shared their data on preppers and militia types with criminal enterprises, in order to encourage them to basically act as the privateers did during the Revolution and attack, harass, rob, etc., people with stockpiles of supplies.”

“Why the heck would our own government do that? That just doesn't make any sense.” said Peggy.

“Well, think about it. This is the same government that shipped assault weapons to Mexican drug cartels and gave weapons to known Al-Qaeda affiliates by calling them freedom fighters in Syria and Libya. They have been hell-bent on getting the American people as dependent on the government as they can, which, of course, translates into control. So the reason they have been on a negative propaganda campaign against survivalists and preppers, is that those folks will be the hardest—and last—ones they are able to gain control over.

“They know that, chances are, they will never convince them to willingly follow their line of thinking, and if there were to be an armed insurgency against their ever-increasing iron grip on the American people, they’re the people that will be leading the charge. In essence, they use criminals and other groups, not affiliated directly with the government, to do their bidding for them. All they have to do is share the information on where the food, weapons, and ammo stockpiles are, and insinuate that they will look the other way. The next thing you know, those people become prime targets for hostile looting activities. It's not a new concept. The British and Colonial governments both used such tactics during the Revolution, and we even recently used the same sort of tactics against the Soviets during their war in Afghanistan. We gave weapons and intelligence to the Mujahedeen, and they did our dirty work for us, all while we could deny having involvement. The strategy really has been used countless times throughout history.

“This complete and utter meltdown and mistrust between the different branches of state, local, and federal government, has all available resources focused on the capitols and major metropolitan areas. The outlying and rural areas have pretty much become a dog eat dog version of the Wild West, with some towns setting up militia groups for defense. Some of these groups are led by sheriffs, and some by civilian groups, sealing off entry by outsiders until it all settles down. Some other towns have almost literally been burned to the ground by looters, rioters, and the like. It's not a pretty picture, and I really can't see how any of this is going to blow over anytime soon.”

“I'm surprised the president hasn't gotten UN troops on the ground as so called ‘peacekeepers’ yet,” responded Jason.

“Oh, the blue helmets are coming, from what I have heard,” Ed continued. “My position with the state has me privy to some of the information flowing from the governor's office. The governor, himself, isn't on good terms with this administration, so he has pretty much been sequestered away and is communicating with the Ohio State Police and Ohio National Guard remotely. That's how a lot of the information has gotten to me. It has to pass through a lot of hands, what with secure electronic communications being out of the picture.”

“By the way, don't drink the water. There are reports of a lot of people getting sick and dying from the water in a few of the Columbus suburbs. I haven't heard anything about here, or where you live, Jason, but you don't want to be one of the first to find out the hard way that your water supply has been compromised.”

“We've got to get on the road,” Jason said. “I've got to get to my family.”

Ed looked at his old friend, Jason, and said, “Hey man, take that old Ford F100 pickup out back. It's a total jalopy and isn't tagged, but it's not like that matters. It should have enough gas to get down the road to your house.”

“Thanks, man, you’re a hell of a friend. Can we leave the plane here for now? We will eventually come back for it, but not sure when at this point?” asked Jason.”

“Sure thing. Are you bug'n out once you get there?”

“Yep, we are heading towards Cincinnati to drop Peggy and Judith off and then heading down to Tennessee to Evan's place to ride everything out together,” Jason replied. “You should come with us, or at least consider it as a bug out location, if you need it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Jason, thanks.” He then scratched his chin and said, “Cincinnati, huh?” Ed questioned with a concerned look on his face.

“Yes, Cincinnati, why?” asked Peggy in a very serious manner.

“Well, from the info I got from the governor's office, there isn't much left of Cincy. There were some pretty massive explosions in the center of the city and the place was just about burned to the ground. Add to that the population of thugs and wannabe gang bangers there, and it's just not a pretty picture. There was quite a bit of rioting and looting. All of this has been going on for so long now that the thugs know they have free reign to do whatever they want. No law enforcement is coming for them. All of the law enforcement activity right now is all political; they aren't concerned with crime in the least. Anyway, most of the city from what I know, has been abandoned and the casualty rate is quite high.”

The group just stood there with a look of horror on their faces, digesting all of the information Ed shared with them. They had been in the dark about a lot of things this whole time, and this was a lot to take in.

“The Kentucky National Guard was immediately posted on the Kentucky side of the river to keep the mayhem from crossing over the bridges,” Ed continued. “I guess the river was a pretty good natural barrier, keeping most of the violence on the Ohio side.”

“Oh, thank God,” said Peggy. “My parents have my son and they live on the Kentucky side, in Newport.”

“Well, I don't know much about the Kentucky end of things,” he said. “My sources are just versed on Ohio state matters, so hopefully your family is okay.”

Jason said, “Thanks, Ed. Do you want us to bring your truck back here?”

“No, man, you don't need to waste time with that. Just leave it at your place and I'll know where to find it if I really need it,” he said.

“You guys grab your gear and head on over to the truck and load up. I'll go grab the keys,” Ed said as he turned and walked to the house.

Evan, Jason, Judith, and Peggy each grabbed their packs and walked to the truck. They threw everything in the back as Evan said, “Jason, you drive since you’re the only one with a clue as to where we are going. Peggy and Judith, you ride up front in the cab with Jason, and I'll be the trunk monkey, or rather the bed monkey, in the back providing cover.”

“Good idea,” replied Jason. “And let's keep our weapons out of sight, but at the ready. No need to ruffle feathers around here if we don't need to. Most people around here are good people.”

Just then, Ed came walking up with the keys and tossed them to Jason. He shook Evan and Jason's hands, gave both of the ladies a quick hug, and said, “You two ladies take care of these guys. They are a little off their rockers and need to be babysat.”

Peggy and Judith laughed and said, “Oh yeah, we've noticed that more and more every day.”

Jason fired up the old Ford and headed out of Ed's driveway. Everyone gave Ed a wave goodbye as he watched them drive away. “Crazy bastards,” he said under his breath as he turned and waked back into the house.

Chapter 16: The Reunion

Jason pulled out of Ed's driveway and, after taking a few turns on some back roads, they came out on North River Road, which would take them south most of the way towards his house. Evan pecked on the back window and Jason reached back and slid it open.

Evan said, “Ohio 666! Really? That's the road we are taking?” That was the official road name of North River Road, according to the street sign. Jason just laughed and gave him a crooked smile, then went back to driving.

They paralleled the river via North River Road for several miles. It was mostly uneventful, with the occasional abandoned car left on the shoulder. They assumed it was someone who ran out of gas before they could get to where they were going. “Okay, there is Jaycee Riverside Park,” Jason said with anxiety. “We are almost there.” He took a left and then an immediate right onto Zane Street, and then took another left onto a smaller road that would lead them to his neighborhood, while avoiding the more congested areas.

He rounded the corner only to have to slam on the brakes because a pickup truck was sitting sideways in the middle of the road, along with a few large fellows with shotguns and hunting rifles. “This road is closed,” one of them shouted.

“It's not closed to me. I live this way,” replied Jason with authority.

“Turn around,” the man ordered again as he repositioned his shotgun.

Evan eased up out of the bed of the truck and rested his AR-15 on the top of the cab, not pointing it at the men, but letting them know the discussion was not going as they had planned. Jason opened the truck door, got out and walked right up to the man, pulling out his wallet as he approached. The men tightened their grips on their guns as if they were preparing to be attacked. The apparent leader of the group seemed to pay extra attention once he noticed Jason's Sig holstered on his side.

Jason pulled his driver’s license out of his wallet and put it up to the face of the man giving the orders and said, “Look! See my address? I live just a mile or so down the damn road, so move out of the way! I have come a long damn way to get back to my wife and kids and I'll be damned if you are gonna be another obstacle in my way.”

The man looked at his driver’s license, turned to the other men, and motioned to move aside. They pulled the truck that was blocking the road back just enough to let the F-100 through. Jason got back in the truck and pulled up to the men. “I appreciate what you are doing,” he said before he drove away.

As they entered the residential area, they could see that a few of the homes had been recently burned to the ground. I hope those were just accidents, Evan thought to himself. He couldn't dare imagine anything having happened to Jason's family. Jason was a time bomb waiting to explode as it was. Jason weaved around a few cars that were left abandoned in the road.

One man on the sidewalk yelled, “Sell me a gallon of gas!” but Jason just kept driving. As he pulled onto his street, his heart was beating faster than he had ever felt it. He pulled into the driveway and was relieved to see that his wife's car was still parked in front of the garage. The garage door was closed, so he assumed his truck was still inside. His airport car had been left in employee parking in Columbus and he planned on just leaving it there. It wasn't worth risking anyone's life to go into the city to get it.

He jumped out of the cab of the truck and went over to the side gate that led into the backyard. He expected to see his dog, Browning. He would usually be standing on his hind legs, leaning on the fence, excited to see him, but it was eerily quiet. This made him a little concerned. He put his hand on his pistol and walked over to the kitchen door on the side of the house and noticed damage around the edge of the door by the bolt.

He yanked the door open and ran inside, with Evan following with his AR at the ready. Jason drew his pistol and yelled, “Shit!” He pointed it at a body on the floor, then quickly scanned the rest of the room. The man was lying in a pool of blood and appeared to be dead. He ran towards the bedroom screaming, “Sarah! Sarah! Sarah!” He ran into the bedroom to find his wife and two sons cowering in the corner, crying.

As soon as they recognized him, his boys jumped up and ran to him screaming, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” and jumped into his arms.

His wife was getting up to join them, and he noticed blood all over her. He dropped his sons to their feet and ran over to help her. “I'm okay, I'm okay,” she said, giving him a huge hug and began to cry tears of joy.

“Are you hurt?” he asked frantically.

“No… no, it's his blood.”

“Whose blood? The man in there?” Jason said as he pointed towards the living room.

“Yes, it was Brandon Murphy from down the street, he broke in last night,” she said as he wiped the tears from her cheek. They just held each other for a moment while Evan swept the rest of the house to make sure it was secure. He then came into the bedroom to let Jason know it was all clear.

Sarah began to explain to them what had happened. She told him all about Brandon's odd behavior a few days before, how she had found Browning sick, and that the rabbits were missing. She told him that later that night, Browning passed away. She then went on to say, “Last night at about 2am, Kevin said he was thirsty so I got up to get him a class of water from the kitchen. That's where I found Brandon and another man loading food into a bag. I screamed out of reflex and Brandon grabbed me and tried to cover my mouth. He was squeezing me so tight, I could barely breathe so I bit his hand. He pulled out a knife and put it to my throat and told me to shut the hell up or he would gut me like a pig in front of the boys.

“Just then, I saw a flash of light and heard a loud pop. Brandon went limp and fell to the floor, and there stood Michael with your .45. He looked scared to death. He had just shot Brandon in the side, right through the ribs at point-blank range. The other man must have run, because I turned around and the door was open and he was gone. I didn't know for sure, though, so I grabbed Michael and ran back into the bedroom. We've been hiding in here with your gun ever since. I'm so glad you’re home. Oh, I knew you would come back to us.” She broke down crying and collapsed into his arms.

Evan excused himself to give them some space and said, “I'll give you a moment. I'll go check on Peggy and Judith.” He went back out front where Peggy and Judith were still sitting in the truck. He went over and sat down in the driver seat and explained everything to them.

“Oh my God,” Peggy said.

“I'm so glad they are okay,” said Judith. “I can't imagine what Jason would have done without them.”

“Neither do I,” Evan replied.

After a few moments, the front door of the house swung open and out came Jason, dragging Brandon's body by the arms. He pulled him out into the street, turned, and walked back into the house like he was on a mission. As Evan sat there wondering if he should go in and see if there was anything he could do, Jason came back out the front door with a piece of wooden furring strip and a small piece of plywood. He broke the furring strip over his knee making a sharp, jagged edge on the end of the stick. He then laid it on the street, nailed the plywood to it, and then placed it over Brandon's back. He drove it through Brandon's body with a few solid hits of the hammer. He then stood up and deliberately walked back into the house without saying a word. Evan had gotten out of the truck when Jason had come back outside the first time. He walked over and looked at the plywood. It had a message written on it with a marker that said, “This is what happens when you touch my family.”

Evan walked back over to the door that Jason had left open and knocked on the door frame. Jason said, “Come on in. Sorry about that, I just had to deal with a few things.”

“No problem, man, I understand,” Evan replied.

Sarah came out of the bedroom. She had changed clothes and cleaned herself up. Jason introduced Peggy and Judith to Sarah, and they all caught Sarah up on what had happened during their tip. While the ladies got to know each other, Evan and Jason cleaned up the mess in the kitchen that was left by the previous night's altercation. They also fixed the kitchen door frame and re-locked all of the doors.

Jason fired up his generator that he had wired into the house via a twist lock plug that hooked to a manual switch-over box. “Give it about a half hour, and there should be plenty of hot water for people to start taking showers. Just don't swallow any of the tap water, just in case. Evan, let's walk out to the shed,” said Jason.

He and Evan walked out back, unlocked the shed, and went inside. This was where Jason had his HAM radio setup. “Try and get in touch with Molly if you want, but it's past 9am, so I doubt they are on there, but you never know. I think we should get on the road soon. I know Sarah and the kids aren't comfortable here now. After everyone is washed up and we eat dinner, I think we need to load up and go. We can take the Dodge and you can follow along in Sarah's car, now that we have extra bodies to haul. Having to make a stop in Newport, KY is going to throw our bug out route all out of whack, but it is what it is,” Jason said.

Evan got on the HAM radio and tried to reach Molly to no avail. He didn't really expect to, though, as it wasn't their agreed upon monitoring time. She also had a lot to do around the Homefront, with all of the kids and animals. Hopefully, he would be there in a day or two at the most now, anyway.

Everyone took turns taking a nice, hot shower. It was a refreshing change from the recent norm. Judith gathered up everyone's dirty clothes and washed them, using Sarah's washer and dryer thanks to the generator. The dryer really bogged down the generator from its wattage use, but they just did not have the time to wait for all of the clothes to line dry.

Peggy was the last to get out of the shower. Once she got all cleaned up and dressed, she came out of the bathroom and said with a smile, “You really don't realize how bad you must have smelled until you get a shower and fresh clean clothes. So, how long do you think it will take us to get to Newport?” Peggy was clearly anxious to get home to her son and parents, who she had been completely out of contact with during this entire ordeal.

“Well, back before the world fell apart, it would have only taken two and a half hours at highway speed via the interstate. There is no chance we can risk going through Columbus and Cincinnati, though, with things the way they are there. Not to mention all of the obstacles we can expect to find along the way; it could take a day or more. To get around those two cities, we are going to need to go well out of our way to the south and then over to the west,” replied Jason, trying not to paint too negative of a picture.

“Peggy, how do you and Judith feel about carrying a gun now?” Evan asked.

“I've never shot a gun before,” she sheepishly replied.

“Well, considering the state of things, and the fact that we will now be traveling in two vehicles with Jason and myself separated, I think we need to get everyone armed for the trip,” he said.

“My husband and I used to go to the range and shoot his handgun sometimes,” replied Judith. “I'd feel better if I had one.”

“Okay then, while Jason and his family are packing their stuff up and getting ready to hit the road, let's go out back and go over a few things.” With that, Evan took the ladies into the backyard and introduced them to a few of Jason's extra guns. He gave them a quick, down and dirty lesson on the operation of the SKS rifle. He had them practice loading with stripper clips and also with the detachable thirty-round magazines that Jason had for them. Jason normally kept the ten-round built-in magazine on them, however, being in their originally imported configuration, they didn't meet compliance with section 922r. Regulatory compliance seemed to be a moot point at the moment, however, so in his mind, 922r was a non-issue.

In addition to the SKSs, Evan taught them the operation of the M1911 pistol. Jason's personal handgun was a Springfield Armory TRP 1911, but he also had picked up three Rock Island Armory GI style 1911s over the past few years. They weren't the pride and joy of his collection, but he figured if it ever got to the point where he needed them, he wouldn't be concerned about the fit and finish of the Philippine made guns. They were reliable and solid performers and were acquired at a budget price that allowed him to purchase three of them. This made them more valuable to the mission at hand than one high-end gun. Evan had them practice with snap caps, dry firing and clearing simulated malfunctions, until they felt reasonably comfortable with them.

When the ladies were positive they were ready to handle them, he gave them each a pistol in an old government surplus holster and two double magazine pouches each, which were also surplus items. This gave them each a total of four magazines, loaded with 230 grain .45ACP ball ammo. “From here on out these things don't leave your side,” he said to them with a serious look. “We've got a long way to go, and as we get closer to Newport, things will only get more dangerous.” The two ladies looked at each other with a sense that the intensity of their journey wouldn't be letting up anytime soon, and having the need to carry their own gun just drove that point home even further.

They went back into the house to find that the Jones family had been pre-packed so well that they were pretty much ready to go. Jason said, “The Dodge's regular fuel tank and the auxiliary tank are both full, they stay that way. I have enough gasoline in the shed that I had around for the generator to top off Sarah's car. We can also put a few gas cans in the rooftop carrier as well as one or two in the back of the truck. That should be enough to get both vehicles all the way to Tennessee. Evan, if you want to drive Sarah's car you can put all of your bags in the trunk, and I can keep all of our stuff in the back of the truck underneath the sleeping bed.”